The Wizard of Oz - The Musical

The Wizard of Oz musical finally touched down in Melbourne last week and I was very lucky to be able to attend the very first preview performance at the beautiful Regent Theatre. This new adaptation of the classic tale is based on the 1939 film, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film that everyone knows and loves while including some new songs and additional music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice which help to create a fresh new experience for those who are very familiar with the story.

This Australian production stars relative newcomer Samantha Dodemaide in the title role of Dorothy who is flanked by Eli Cooper as The Scarecrow, Alex Rathgerber as The Tin Man and John Xintavelonis as The Cowardly Lion. The all embody these classic characters in a way that you know and are familiar with but also put their own spins on the them that gives it a new vibrancy which was so enjoyable to watch.

In the more supporting roles you've got household names including Andrew Warlow as The Wizard, Lucy Durack as Glinda the Good and Jemma Rix as The Wicked Witch of the West. Durack and Rix played their respective characters in Australian/Asian productions of Wicked so it only seemed fitting that they both took on the roles in The Wizard of Oz. I honestly couldn't have pictured anyone else doing it and they both showed me that they really were the #1 witches. Rix takes a more menacing turn as the Wicked Witch but unlike the film keeps the sarcastic tone that stemmed from Wicked. Likewise, Durack kills it as Glinda. Her comedic timing and banter is something that never ceases to make me laugh and thankfully the Glinda humour found in The Wizard of Oz plays just well as it did in Wicked creating moments of hilarity that I have longed for since Durack finished up her run in Wicked in 2015. Unfortunately The Wizard, Glinda and The Wicked Witch of the West only have one song that they each sing which is kind of a bummer but boy do they all grab their moments in the spot light and take you for a ride.

Visually everything is simply stunning. The costumes are eye popping and bright and a special mention must be made of the dress Glinda wears. It's the most sparkly thing I've every seen and had me completely memorised by how beautiful it was. The photos and videos you can see online of it simply don't do it the justice it deserves because of how the stage lighting reflects off of it. The stage design was outstanding with a highlight being the revolving stage that the yellow brick road was placed on which gave the illusion of the characters walking along it.

This production of The Wizard of Oz will most likely appeal to everyone regardless if you know the story off by heart or have never seen a production of it before. There's something here for everyone and with big name stars such as Jemma Rix, Lucy Durack and Andrew Warlow provided stellar performances it would be hard to pass up the opportunity to see them work their magic.

The Wizard of Oz is now playing at the Regent Theatre until July 22.