The Wizard of Oz, Theatre Royal, Plymouth ****"
There's no place like home," I muttered on repeat as I gripped the steering wheel and drove through heavy snow conditions in Plymouth and on the A38 last night. I feared we'd be stranded for the night like many were on Haldon Hill in freak weather in previous years.
An apparent blizzard hit the city as we left the Theatre Royal for The Wizard of Oz, with weather not improving till rain slowly brought us home to a sodden final stretch and safety.
For a moment it was, as with the musical's protagonist Dorothy, we had been whisked away to some other world by the turbulent weather.
But rewind back a few hours and we were oblivious and happily tucked up in the warn theatre enjoying the technicolour wizardry and irresistible family appeal of this show.
Based on the iconic story by L. Frank Baum it follows independent young Dorothy who wishes to get away from her awkward life in Kansas and the ubiquitous characters who surround her.
Made world famous by the MGM 1939 film featuring starlet Judy Garland, it brings us the unforgettable and loveable champions in the guise of the cowardly lion, scarecrow and the tin man who join Dorothy on her quest along the Yellow Brick Road to help find the Wizard of Oz and get her safely back home.
This production brings everything screeching into the 21st century with giant and vivid projections as it makes its UK tour after much success at the London Palladium.
The glaring video sequences make a nod to the original film but they can't compete with the simplicity of moments where our star, played by Aviva Tulley, sings out so clear and beautifully to Somewhere over the Rainbow with her little dog Toto by her side.
There are many other moments where she shines and this is amplified by meeting her three new best friends in scarecrow (Benjamin Yates), The Tin Man (Femi Akinfolarin) and Nic Greenshields as The Cowardly Lion. The all bring us onside with their comedy and heart but Greenshields particular won me over with his power, strength, majesty and hilarity as the lion.
The Vivienne's Wicked Witch of the West is all encompassing and creates a theatrical baddy to rival many.
I had forgotten how much I probably watched this film as a kid delighting in the Yellow Brick Road madness but often turning away fearful when the Wicked Witch of the West came in with her winged monkeys to do her evil bidding.
And that fear and drama is not lost, and possibly even more animated, in this stage production thanks to killer costumes and The Vivienne happily working up to her final demise.
The creative Emerald City crew with their zany costumes gave ample room for the ensemble to shine and show off their stuff much to my delight.
In parts it was a little too quick and abrupt at times and personally I would have happily enjoyed a full rendition of the Rainbow number again at the end.
Despite the hairy journey home. I wouldn't have missed this wonderfully revamped classic hit, proving there's no place like the Theatre Royal for some captivating family entertainment.
The Wizard of Oz is on at Plymouth's Theatre Royal until Saturday, March 30.
