The Wizard of Oz in the West End – review

Director Nikolai Foster knows that, if you’re presenting a beloved musical at The London Palladium, you either have to go big or go home. While The Wizard of Oz also proves that yes, there’s no place like home, Foster has also wholeheartedly gone big in this neon-lit Americana extravaganza of a revival, which looks like a tribute to equal parts God’s Own Junkyard and MGM backlot.

First seen in Curve Leicester last winter, it is Colin Richmond’s extravagant sets that will certainly linger in the memory. Inventive and amiably garish, Richmond and Foster’s sci-fi vision for the world beyond the monotone Midwest adds a whiff of novelty to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice and Jeremy Sams’ 2011 reimagining of the 1939 film of the same name – first staged at the same venue over a decade ago.

The plot is, as expected, largely faithful to the original film (and L Frank Baum’s original children’s novel) – though with a few original twists. Following a restless girl Dorothy as she is catapulted by a cyclone into the mythic and mayhem-laden world of Oz, we encounter a land replete with Vespa-driving witches, football helmet-sporting flying monkeys and Poppy-themed motels.

Little details leap out, especially those courtesy of projection designer Douglas O’Connell. These include an amusing tribute to Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch in the 1939 Wizard of Oz, while Foster also concludes the show with an ace reference to Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World.

Just like Crazy for You earlier this week, it seems that this summer is turning into one where lavish musical revivals are carried by their central turns. Georgina Onuorah, a blistering Ado Annie in Oklahoma! at the Wyndham’s, returns to Oz in style after appearing in the show at Curve. Steely, earnest and bold, her “Over the Rainbow” is performed with skilful panache, with Onuorah imbuing the number with a deep-seated sense of desperate longing.

Other cast members acquit themselves well – Dianne Pilkington, following in the footsteps of one Hannah Waddingham in taking on the role of the Wicked Witch at the Palladium, adds her own whimsical, near-deranged take on the iconic character, while Christina Bianco as the Good Witch Glinda makes the most of a sadly limited role with some powerhouse vocals.

Household names fill out supporting roles – Jason Manford is a marvellous Cowardly Lion, naturally deferential to the immortal work done by Bert Lahr (who also gets a little nod in the background of a scene). Ashley Banjo gets to flex his famed dance moves as the Tin Man, while Louis Gaunt, now a Palladium regular thanks to its sell-out pantomime, is all bluster and endearing blunder as the Scarecrow. Special recognition must of course go to puppeteer Ben Thompson as Toto – proving that old-fashioned theatrical techniques can shine even amongst glitzy sets and LED effects.

Flaws lie in the material, with Lloyd Webber and Sams’ additions to the original screenplay meaning tempo can wane, while jokes land with uneven power. Lloyd Webber and Rice’s tunes are pleasant yet never carry the same oomph when sat next to Harold Arlen and E Y Harburg’s 80-year old staples.

With its revisionist take Wicked defying gravity and still pulling in audiences after many years just over Green Park, it looks like audiences will be flocking to Oz in droves this summer.