For those of you keeping up with my theatre-going antics, you will no doubt be fed up with me talking about how I have been itching to review my childhood favourite films brought to life on stage. I am aware it seems to be a common occurrence these days. But I can’t help that Aberdeen Performing Arts director of programming Ben Torrie seems to have hit the nail on the head this year with his lineup of spectacular shows he’s brought to tread the boards at HM Theatre.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will probably already know that this week’s touring production to hit the stage is none other than the absolute classic The Wizard of Oz. And while I know the movie inside out, I must confess, even for the keen theatre spectator that I am, I have never been lucky enough to catch the performance on stage – until now. I had high hopes going in given the stars were Strictly Judge Craig Revel Horwood as the Wicked Witch and Scottish entertainer Allan Stewart as The Wizard of Oz.
And for the first 12 minutes, I would have sworn it was the best thing I had ever seen on stage. For fans of the movie, the production is so aligned. The score is almost identical as well as the script.
Ruby slippers, flying monkeys, poppy fields and yellow brick roads all make their appearance. And if it were not for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s influence I would have argued this would have carried on throughout. However the second the tornado hits and Dorothy is whisked away to the magical lan.
