Abigail Matthews Archives - North West End UK

1Aug

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

The Wizard of Oz – Wolverhampton Grand

“There’s no place like Wolves!” Well, there certainly isn’t as Dorothy Gale and her little dog, too, land their wooden house on the stage of the Grand Theatre which they’re calling no place like home for the next few days. “The Wizard of Oz” is, undoubtedly, an iconic, kaleidoscopic, psychedelic trip into the mad and inventive mind of L. Frank Baum who, eager to create a new style fairy tale for a new, burgeoning nation, let his eyes drift to his library index cards one day where the letters O-Z jumped out and he was off down his yellow brick road to literary success. His unstoppable quill knocked out a dozen or so Oz titles within a few years with further volumes being penned by other authors. Baum, being no slack capitalist, exploited his work in all media - books, stage and film. Way...

The Wizard Of Oz – New Wimbledon Theatre

This classic tale is reimagined with an inventive and modern take on The Wizard of Oz as we know it. With a talented and enthusiastic cast, comedic and heartfelt moments, this production is an enjoyable watch for all ages. Projections are used extensively which is seemingly becoming the norm for a tour production, and we are launched into Dorothy’s world in Kansas quite abruptly with a somewhat dominating video. While the scene was indeed set, this dynamic video established the tone for much of the staging throughout the production. Despite some extensive and inventive set pieces, the large screen at the back of the stage is used primarily to distinguish scenes and at times this choice feels unnecessary and lazy, particularly as the cast performances are entirely believable. While st...

The Wizard of Oz – Liverpool Empire

Aston Merrygold as the Tin man and The Vivienne as the Wicked Witch of the West, star in a vibrant and colourful stage adaptation of the classic film. Transferred to the Empire from their stint in London’s West End Jeremy Sams version stays true to the innocence and magic of the original tale. With new songs, written and composed by longstanding musical theatre icons Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, friendship and fantasy were at the forefront. Full of flair, this production lived up to the expectation of the full crowd. Not only did the A-list names pay homage to their classic roles, they did not over play and stayed true to the production as a whole letting other cast members have their moments of too, of which there were many. Aviva Tulley’s Dorothy was understated but stoic. The Em...