Its panto season again in Birmingham and once again we were lucky enough to be invited to The Old Rep for their offering for the festive period, their take on The Wizard of Oz, a very timely production what with Wicked being all the rage at the cinema currently. Could make a good combination if you were so inclined.
The Old Rep panto is always really fun – perfect for your festive family night out. We’ve always enjoyed the productions put on, and The Wizard Of Oz is no different. We kick off with some familiar song and dance numbers, which had our 8 year old dancing and bopping along in glee.
We’re introduced to Dorothy at home on her farm in Kansas, looked after by her Aunt and Uncle, and three farm hand, one who seems a bit dopey, one who lacks kindness and another who seems to be scared of everything. Wait, this seems a bit familiar, doesn’t it? Anyway, a huge storm blows into Kansas and Dorothy, and her trusty dog Toto find themselves in a strange magical place far away….
Dorothy is played by Jaiden Tsang who is a spark of friendliness and happiness in her role, and also does the puppetry for Toto. She soon comes across Glinda the Good Witch of the South and the Wicked Witch of the West who are both wonderful in their roles. Avital in particular is clearly having an absolute ball as the villain of the piece and soaks up the boos and hisses with glee and gusto, having some fun interactions with the audience.
As her journey to the Emerald City to find her way home starts, Dorothy and Toto come across the Scarecrow who needs a brain (Julie Baker), the Tin Man who needs a heart (Oraine Johnson) and the Cowardly Lion (ig: jaylaydashing) who decide to join her journey to see the Great and Powerful Oz to see if they can get what they desire as well.
The set design is well set out, taking us from a run down Kansas Farm to the outskirts of Oz and down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald city with a combination of clever staging and smart use of light effects. The songs are all great, and have a real habit of getting stuck in your head: I was humming and singing the last song before the break all the way through the interval.
Lorna Laidlaw has done a fantastic job of directing The Wizard of Oz this year, although we must admit, we missed Alec Fellows- Bennett, who usually directs. He has become a firm favourite director of ours, and after watching his shows for the last 6 years or so, he was very much missed this year. That aside, we loved our afternoon out in Oz, in the company of Dorothy, Toto, Glinda and the three companions.
If there is one element we miss from previous years (other than Alec missing), it’s the more overt link up with the BOA students. In years gone by, students were given larger parts than the ensemble had today. It was always lovely to see fantastic new local actors get their first go at professional productions with BOA and The Old Vic, and it seems a bit of a shame that we didn’t have that this year. That said, its still a great family panto for Birmingham, and we would recommend it to anyone looking for their family evening out for the year.
Performances run until 31st December 2024.
Book your tickets here: https://www.oldrep.co.uk/