The Wizard of Oz – London Palladium

Georgina Onuorah, Jason Manford, Ashley Banjo and Louis Gaunt in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. Picture: Marc Brenner

The Wizard of Oz continues at the the London Palladium until 3 September 2023. The production begins a tour at Liverpool Empire from 13 December 2023 to 7 January 2024.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

The Wizard of Oz’s return to the London Palladium under the eye of Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose adaptation [with Jeremy Sams and Tim Rice] originally took up residence at the renowned theatre in 2011, shows that there really is no place like home for this classic musical.

Largely following L Frank Baum’s classic tale of farm-girl Dorothy, this reworking opens with a literal bang, immersing us immediately into Dorothy’s tumultuous farm world with a song of overwhelming polyphonous vocals. This opening scene offers little space for character development for the lead, or her family – three bursts of “Nobody understands me” not quite providing the necessary context for a child who we are supposed to believe wants to run away.

Following Georgina Onuorah’s beautifully bold rendition of ‘Over the Rainbow’ though, the story really begins as Dorothy is quickly catapulted by a powerful storm into the chaotic and magical world of Oz. The truly confusing mix of on-screen graphics and elaborate sets creates a dichotomy that almost undermines the enchanting quality that one might expect from Oz.  The set pieces and multiple stage vehicles present are excellent, so why not utilise these in replacement of the animation which feels incongruent with the onstage action? It’s over-stimulating and, quite frankly, a bit of a cop out for such a high-level group of theatre professionals.

Aside from some of these questionable production decisions, the cast is phenomenal. Christina Bianco as Glinda, though limited in stage time, is as divine in both vocal skill and humour as expected, and Dianne Pilkington, a truly safe set of musical theatre hands, is wonderfully comic in her cruelness as the Wicked Witch of the West: her cackles shrill and her movements dramatic – an expert villain.

Louis Gaunt brings humour and warmth to The Scarecrow and Ashley Banjo’s infamous mechanical movement elevates The Tin Man’s timeless character, while the robotic personality perhaps helpfully masks his less expert acting abilities. Jason Manford is a terrific Cowardly Lion, funny and oddly believable for a walking, talking feline, plus his acting choices are wonderfully reminiscent of Bert Lahr (the actor who played the role in 1939 movie). The talent-packed ensemble provides the perfect support, utilised efficiently in aid of the story and skilfully showcasing Shay Barclay’s magnificent choreography.

Onuorah’s Dorothy grows throughout the performance, her ‘Over the Rainbow’ reprise demonstrating exactly the torment I would have loved to see exhibited in the opening scene. She is, though, a wonderful Dorothy – capturing the essence of joy, terror and the growth of friendship throughout a somewhat limited character arc.

Also deserving of a mention is Ben Thompson, Toto’s puppeteer, for engendering such truly canine movement and expression and proving once again how important it is to preserve this artform. I do wonder whether Toto’s character is meaningful enough to warrant the presence of a second actor in such sincere scenes as Dorothy’s solos, but the coos from the auditorium during the moments of Toto’s anthropomorphism proved that they were greatly enjoyed by members of the audience.

What really stands out is the lack of any childlike qualities in the production, making the Palladium’s new Oz rather darker than previous iterations. Its representation feels far more closely aligned with Gregory Maguire’s Oz than L Frank Baum’s – colourful and fantastical yes, but city-scape backdrops reminiscent of Times Square, high-heeled-leg-shaped neon lights and an almost Dali-esque poppy field scene, marks this Oz as being demonstrably for the consumption of adults, rather than munchkins. Grant Wood’s American Gothic even makes a fleeting appearance, alongside Judy Garland peeking open-mouthed over the quartet’s journey to see the Wizard, from a graphic billboard, adding to the quite sinister atmosphere.

Ultimately, though created at the Leicester Curve by director Nikolai Foster, this somewhat claustrophobic production presents exactly what the London Palladium does best: showcasing stars of both name and nature, elaborately outlandish costuming, extravagant ensemble dance numbers and the creation of a jubilant, pantomime-style atmosphere.

Jess Green