Gary Wilmot joins The Wizard of Oz revival at The London Palladium 

West End star Gary Wilmot is set to take on the title role in Curve’s production of The Wizard of Oz this summer at The London Palladium.

The production, presented by producer Michael Harrison, will begin performances on Friday 23 June at The London Palladium. Alongside Wilmot, the cast will feature previously announced stars Jason Manford as the Cowardly Lion and Ashley Banjo as the Tin Man.

Wilmot has an extensive background in musical theatre, with previous roles including The Wizard in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, Jethro in The Prince of Egypt at the Dominion, and Badger in The Wind in the Willows at The London Palladium. 

His reputation as a performer has been further cemented through his appearances in a string of Christmas Palladium Pantomimes, including roles as Queen Nigella in Jack and the Beanstalk, Dame Gary in Pantoland at The Palladium, Mrs Crumble in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and Sarah The Cook in Dick Whittington.

He will be playing both The Wizard and Professor Marvel, with further casting for the production to be revealed. 

Curve’s production of The Wizard of Oz  will have a press night on Thursday 6 July. Featuring numbers from the iconic original score by Harold Arlen and E Y Hardburg, including “Over The Rainbow”, “Follow The Yellow Brick Road” and “We’re Off To See the Wizard”, the piece also has additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

It received a glowing review from WhatsOnStage, being described as “sheer theatrical wizardry and far too good to miss.”

Directed by Nikolai Foster (Billy Elliot The Musical, A Chorus Line), The Wizard of Oz has choreography by Shay Barclay, set design by Colin Richmond, projection design by Douglas O’Connell, costume and puppet designer by Rachael Canning, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, creative consultancy by Mark Kaufman, musical direction and supervision by George Dyer, casting by Kay Magson, props supervision by Marcus Hall Props, and wigs, hair and make-up design by Elizabeth Marini.