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P O S T E R
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CREDITS
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By L. Frank Baum with Music & Lyrics of the MGM motion picture score by Harold Arlen & E.Y.. Harburg Background Music by Herbert Stothart Dance & Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard Adapted by John Kane from the motion picture screenplay
Director & Choreographer: Victoria Fowler Musical Director: Mark Smith | |||||||||||||||
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C A S T
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Dorothy Gale .........................................Mercedes Said Aunt Em .............................................Margaret Walker Uncle Henry / Guard of Oz....................... John Salsbury Miss Gultch / Wicked Witch............................. Julia Bull Hunk / Screcrow.......................................... John Utting Hickory / Tin Man ...................................Chris Samuels Zeke / Cowardly Lion............................. Patrick Enright Professor Marvel / Wizard of Oz ..........Michael Withnall Glinda / Good Witch ...........................Charlotte Dennis Toto ...................................................................Oscar Crows: Ann Bush, Laurence Foenander, Dylan Poulton Trees:Janice Nixon, Valerie Vivier,Katy Youngman Citizens of Munchkinland and Oz Mayor........................................... Laurence Foenander Coroner................................................ Doreen Harding Barrister ....................................................Tracy Lodge City Fathers ........................Pat McCoy, Nick Ringrose Three Tots........... Abbie Charles, George Hamil, Jessica Mills Three Tough Guys ....Louie Furne, Charlie Jay, Thomas Roach Nikko - Chief Monkey.........................George Hamil Munchkins, Beauticians, Polishers, Manicurists, Poppies, Jitterbugs, Winkies, Monkeys and Osians Annette Boak, Ann Bush, Abbie Charles,George Donnelly, Victoria Fowler, Louie Furne, George Hamil, Shirley Hamil, Doreen Harding, Sharyn Hughes, Charlie Jay, Lee Kenneth, Tracy Lodge, Pat McCoy, Jessica Mills, Franki Nettleton, Janice Nixon, Katie Pearce, Dylan Poulton, Nick Ringrose, Thomas Roach, John Salsbury, Paige Singh, Naomi Vivier, Valerie Vivier, Margaret Walker, Katy Youngman | ||||||||||||||||
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| College Operatic & Dramatic Association
London Region<br> <br> Society : College Amateur Operatic Society<br> Production : The Wizard of Oz<br> Date : 10/7/10<br> Venue : Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford<br> Report by : Jackie Mitchell | ||||||||||||||||
| Report Based on the very famous film of the same name, and featuring in the main the same music, The Wizard of Oz is in some ways, a rather ambitious show to stage – this is not decreased by the need ideally to have a live animal (preferably a dog!) playing the role of Toto. The show places a huge demand on a relatively small number of players, with the four travellers and the Witch carrying the show, while the chorus and other players are very much a supporting cast. Overall, the society rose to the challenge of the show with aplomb, the principals had obviously worked very hard to produce some very nice characterisations, and the chorus provided some solid, if a little bland, support. The sets throughout the show were simple but effective, helping with the numerous rapid scene changes, and also managing to create a real difference in atmosphere between the scenes in Kansas and Oz – indeed, although the lack of colour seen in the film was not possible in a stage environment, the scenery, combined with some subtle, yet very effective lighting managed to create the illusion that colour only really sprang into life once Dorothy got to Oz. The yellow brick road was also cleverly yet simply hidden and then revealed – the only criticism might be that the back cloth had the road winding into the distance, but the road on the stage never actually met it – slightly disconcerting, although an understandable cheat in the circumstances. The balloon that the wizard flew off in was a little too far stage left, and the majority of his scene from within (behind) it was obscured by other cast members and pieces of the set. The use of film projection to create the hurricane scenes was a clever idea, however, the film itself was a little disappointing – rather than just clouds, perhaps a shadow of the house itself, or at least a couple of cows or other smaller items flying into the air would have added more interest – the witch on her broom towards the end was a nice touch, but more of this kind of thing would have been of interest for the audience in what was effectively just a relatively long scene change. However, aside from this, the scenery helped to create a suitably convincing and magical atmosphere, while remaining simple, and relatively easy to manoeuvre. While not a particularly prop heavy show, the smaller items that were used, such as the bicycle and the basket, looked in keeping with the era of the piece. Initially, it did seem that a lid on the basket would have been a nice touch; however this was likely impractical given the fact that Toto spent the majority of his time there. The chick props in the opening were particularly delightful, and realistic enough (at least from a distance) that they really added to the opening scene, which in turn helped to set the feel for the entire show. As previously mentioned, the lighting for this show was very effective, and really helped to add to the feel of the piece, helping to create two very different atmospheres for Kansas and Oz. In a show with a relatively simple set, just backcloths and a couple of other items in the main, good lighting is essential, and this show proved how effectively lighting can alter the look of a set, whilst still being apparently unobtrusive. The costumes in the show were really very good indeed. All of them looked as one would expect from viewing the film, the tin man, scarecrow and lion were beautiful costumes, and the numerous chorus costumes were also delightful, and very effective – the poppy costumes in particular were very clever, although it would have been nice if all of those with the large capes on the ground could have flipped over to white to symbolise the snow, rather than just three of them. Similarly, the four trees were beautiful, although perhaps a little more material or makeup on the shoulders and arms would have made them more convincingly trees, however, the head dresses in particular for these were very clever. The various costumes in the Emerald City were also very attractive, providing a nice variety of characters within the green theme. As previously stated, the show in the main was dependent upon the four travellers and the witch; however, there were a number of larger chorus scenes, plus numerous opportunities for small cameo roles from various cast members. Surprisingly for a musical, there are actually very few numbers in the show, far less than one usually expects in a musical of this length, however, the few chorus numbers there were, were sung reasonably well. Overall, choral diction needed a little work, however, the sound made was audible, and reasonably jolly. There was a real tendency for the chorus to clump together towards the back of the stage, which masked much of the choreography, particularly when smaller numbers of people were doing different things in front of the ‘crowd’, as occurred during the Emerald City scene. Better spacing for the chorus, such as the groupings used in the poppy scene, and encouraging them to use more of the stage, would have lifted these scenes, and made them livelier. However, there were clearly some nice ideas for the chorus, and it was nice at times to see some variety in the choreography from different groups, giving the audience various things to look at. The principals gave some very good performances both vocally and dramatically, and really helped the show to bowl along at a reasonable pace – no easy feat when you are hearing “We’re Off To See The Wizard” for the nth time! Mercedes Said gave a real tour de force as Dorothy Gale. Without doubt the linchpin of the piece, she managed for the main to appear reasonably childlike, without being overly irritating. She did have a tendency to screech her dialogue a little too much, especially in her opening scene, but she settled down into a more manageable voice as the show progressed. Her singing too was good. It’s not easy to sing a song like “Over The Rainbow” when everyone knows what they expect to hear, and she very sensibly did not try to imitate Judy Garlands rendition, but instead sang the song in her own style, with a good vocal technique, and a very pleasant voice, making the song sound deceptively easy. Overall this was a very enjoyable performance. John Utting as the Scarecrow and Hunk gave another sterling performance. His characterisation as the scarecrow was very good – his dialogue was very clear and suited the role, and his occasional ‘falling’ step and general movements really fitted the part nicely. Although not a major singing role (none of them were), his vocalisation was also very nice. The Tin Man, doubling as Hickory and played by Chris Samuels was another nice performance. Again the characterisation was good, his diction was clear and concise, and he managed to bring a certain amount of stiffness to the role, without appearing wooden. An even smaller singing role than the other travellers, he made a reasonable job of the singing, delivering the music adequately. Patrick Enright as Zeke and the Cowardly Lion gave a variable performance. While a little bland and disappointing as Zeke, especially at the outset, he appeared to come into his own once he got into the lion suit. It would not have been surprising to learn that he had spent many hours studying the role of the lion in the movie, as he delivered an almost flawless characterisation, perfectly convincing as the real coward of the piece, and his dialogue delivery was really very good indeed. Unfortunately he tended to drop out of character a little during his songs, which was a little disappointing, particularly as he sang them very well indeed, with a nice solid voice, and confident delivery. The fifth mainstay of the piece was the Wicked Witch of the West, and of course her Kansas counterpart, Miss Gulch, played by Julia Bull. Rather a pantomime style character, which the audience loved to boo, she gave a wonderful performance as the stereotyped wicked witch. Her characterisation was consistently good, and she was the epitome of the baddie the audience love to hate – from her first entrance as Miss Gulch, she ruled the stage whenever she was present, and it was easy to see why both the residents of Oz and Kansas would hate and fear her. Of the smaller roles, Charlotte Dennis gave a beautiful performance as Glinda the Good Witch. Her singing voice was just lovely, and although some of her dialogue was a little flat, she was the perfect picture of the good witch, in an absolutely stunning costume. Aunt Em, played by Margaret Walker, gave a pleasant performance, both self-effacing and yet still strong – a typical ‘mother’ type role, and it was easy to see why Dorothy would both love and hate her – as surely all children do. John Salsbury as Uncle Henry and the Guard of Oz gave another variable performance. He was did a reasonable job as Uncle Henry, getting a good balance between a put-upon hard-working famer, and a loving father/uncle. As the guard, he also worked reasonably well, but his intonation was a little weak during the Guards’ solo, and his dialogue in both roles tended on occasion to be a little flat – somehow the timing of his delivery just seemed a little ‘off’. Overall though, he did a good job in this important supporting role. Despite being the title role, the Wizard of Oz himself is a very small role, and even doubling as Professor Marvel, Michael Withnall didn’t get much stage time. The booming voice when he initially met Dorothy and the others was suitably awe-inspiring, and it was a nice contrast when someone who appeared rather insignificant was revealed as the real Wizard. Michael gave a solid performance in these roles, and provided good support for the rest of the performers. There can be no doubt however, that (at least on Saturday evening going by the response of the audience) the real star of the show was Toto, played by Oscar. To be fair, he had rather an easy ride, generally having only to sit in a basket and be carried around, however, it has to be said that he seemed completely unfazed by the loud noises coming both from the audience and the stage, and was supremely unbothered by the bright lights, something that many dogs would have struggled to cope with. There were a few moments when his absence on the stage, such as at the beginning of Act II, was noticeable, but it certainly added to the show to have a live animal in the role, rather than a stuffed toy, which might have been the other option, and the small number of ‘moves’ he did have, he executed without obvious treats involved – and he really was very cute! As previously mentioned, this was a very music light show compared to others, although it has to be said that there seemed significantly more incidental music than in other shows. Mark Smith, as musical director did a good job with the show. The singers and the band kept together well, the chorus made a reasonable sound, all the soloists, including those with only one or two lines projected their voices well, and the balance between singers or speakers and band was generally good, with the band rarely overpowering the performers on stage. Directorially, Victoria Fowler for the main rather sensibly played to the strengths of her cast members, asking small numbers of chorus to execute the slightly more complicated moves, while ensuring that others were still involved. More attention could have been paid to ensuring the chorus were better distributed about the stage, and there were also a number of moments when principals were upstaging themselves – particularly when Dorothy and the various other travellers started back on “We’re Off To See The Wizard”, when they turned completely side on, so that most of them were obscured. There were also a number of continuity problems; Toto’s being given to one of the ghouls at the beginning of Jitterbug was rather too obvious, and appeared as if the witch had managed to steal him away, only for Dorothy to regain him at the end of the number. Overall however, this show was a light-hearted piece of fun, designed to appeal to the whole family, and Victoria stayed true to this ethos, producing a fairly traditional, yet still enjoyable show. This was an interesting and entertaining evening out, and I would like to thank College Amateur Operatic Society for inviting me to come and see the show. I wish you all the best in your future productions, and hope I may be able to see more of your shows in the future. Jackie Mitchell Regional Representative NODA London District 6 | ||||||||||||||||
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BEHIND THE SCENES FOR CAOS
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Stage Manager:Katie Smith Properties: Gladys Root, Nick Ringrose & Crew Wardrobe: Jean Howard assisted by Sharyn Hughes, Ann Bush, Valerie Vivier, Linda Pearce and Alma & Stacey Staines Costumes: DAODS Dartford, Phoenix Theatre Group Harlow. Evolutions Dover, The Costume Studio London, ELODS Enfield Scenery: Scenic Projects Limited Property Hire:Keeley Hire, Bridgewood & Neitzert & ELODS Sound: Ovation Production Services Ltd Rehearsal Accompanists: Thomas Mansell Front of House: Thelma Vincent & Friends of CAOS Front of House Photographs: Fred Vincent Prompt: Debbie Martin assisted by Myra Ranger Technical Assistance: Peter Raggett, Michael Withnall Oscar: owned & trained by Lynette Cook Cover design: Gemma Cooper (Ruby Slipper artwork courtesy of 2006-2008 FunDraw.com) Programme editor:Doreen Harding
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