“The Wizard of Oz” – Leicester Curve

My final theatre trip of 2022 was to see “The Wizard of Oz” at Leicester Curve. We always enjoy going to the Curve at Christmas as they offer an alternative to pantomime, and this year’s musical was one of the best offerings from the Curve in a while.

With music from the film, as well as additional music from Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice, the play tells the story of Dorothy (Georgina Onuorah) who, thanks to a sudden storm, finds herself waking up in the mysterious land of Oz. There she is told by Glinda (Christina Bianco) to go and find the Wizard if she wants to get home.

On her travels, she meets the Scarecrow (Jonny Fines), Tin Man (Paul French) and Lion (Giovanni Spanó). These three misfits brought a lot of comedy to the production, with Scarecrow’s short-term memory a particular highlight (reminiscent of Dory from Finding Nemo!).

Paul French as the Tin Man, Jonny Fines as the Scarecrow and Giovanni Spanó as the Lion

The design of the play was futuristic in style, taking its inspiration from steam-punk. The witches (including Charlotte Jaconelli as the Wicked Witch of the West) rode around on motorbikes rather than brooms, and the yellow brick rode was made out of yellow neon lights.

One of my favourite parts of the production was Toto, played by puppeteer Ben Thompson. The puppet was incredibly lifelike, with Thompson reacting to everything on stage exactly like a dog would, even when Toto was not the centre of attention, adding an additional layer of realism.

An excellent production, a great start to Christmas, and a great end to a fantastic year of theatre.

Tom Morley, December 2022