The Wizard of Oz at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal gives the audience a night of dazzling enchantment

Based on a story first told by L. Frank Baum in 1899 and the Oscar-winning MGM film, this spectacular revival is not to be missed.

The Wizard of Oz is playing at Newcastle Theatre Royal until April 21, and follows an unforgettable adventure down the yellow brick road, as Dorothy (played by Aviva Tulley) longs to escape the Kansas farm where nobody understands her.

When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are whisked away from their house to the magical land of Oz. There she meets Scarecrow (Benjamin Yates), Tinman (Femi Akinfolarin), and Cowardly Lion (Nic Greenshields) who join her mission to meet the wonderful Wizard of Oz (Allan Stewart) so he can grant their wishes and return Dorothy home.

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Guided by the dazzling Glinda the Good Witch (Emily Bull), they muster all their brains, heart and courage to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner and Dancing On Ice star The Vivienne).

Featuring the original score from the 1939 Oscar-winning film The Wizard of Oz, including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We’re Off To See the Wizard, which is key to the success of this production and the additional musical numbers from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice aren’t bad either with Bring Me The Broomstick and Red Shoe Blues standing out.



The Wizard of Oz at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal gives the audience a night of dazzling enchantment
The Wizard Of Oz offers an evening of delights and surprises

Dorothy was wonderful and was in excellent voice with many cheers and whoops from the audience when she sang Over the Rainbow. Emily Bull’s delightful Glinda has had a Barbie makeover and uses a scooter rather than a broom.

Dorothy’s companions, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion deserve a huge shout-out too. They got the most out of every comedy situation and all received huge cheers for their performances.

The Munchkins were very sweet and the ensemble was also outstanding as Emerald Citizens and Flying Monkeys. I also loved the clever puppetry that brought Dorothy’s dog Toto to life.



The Vivienne is a magnificent Wicked Witch of the West
The Vivienne is a magnificent Wicked Witch of the West

But for me, the star of the show was The Vivienne who was a magnificent Wicked Witch of the West. The make-up and tailored costumes were just perfection. The Vivienne can play a baddie really well and still looks beautiful, so hat’s off for last night’s performance it was thrilling!

The production pulls out all the stops and the set designs are inventive. Dorothy’s flight to the enchanted land is exciting, using projections to dramatise the tornado. The sliding yellow brick road moving effortlessly around the stage was also very clever. Bringing elements of cinema and even video games into the theatre makes for a fabulous multi-media experience.

This spectacular production will be a truly magical experience for all the family so get your tickets now! And at the end, the entire cast got a standing ovation which was thoroughly deserved as they had given us a joyful night to remember.

At the Theatre Royal until April 21. Tickets from the box office on 0191 232 7010 or the Theatre Royal website www.theatreroyal.co.uk

View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/reviews/wizard-of-oz-newcastle-theatre-29017994

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