Following the Australian premiere in Brisbane last November and a successful season in Sydney, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s London Palladium production of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ is travelling to Adelaide in April and Melbourne in May.
Starring one of Australia’s leading musical theatre stars Anthony Warlow as The Wizard and Professor Marvel, ‘Wicked’ leading ladies Lucy Durack and Jemma Rix as Glinda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West respectively, and rising star Samantha Dodemaide as Dorothy, the production is billed as an enchanting revision of the all-time classic.
“We [the cast] were really lucky,” Samantha says. “From the very start of the auditions, the Director [Jeremy Sams] was really very keen and very adamant that we find our own version of these characters to make them human, truthful, real, and a part of us, as opposed to mimicking Judy Garland or Margaret Hamilton or the other people that have originated these roles.
“Of course it comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of expectation because this role [Dorothy] made Judy Garland famous or Judy made this role famous, but it [the story] was written as a book 39 years before the movie got released.
“I actually haven’t watched the movie for many, many years, so going into the process I did go and read the book quite a few times, and I found all I needed to know about the character and my version of the character and my research from that.”
Developed from the ever-popular MGM screenplay, the production contains all the favourite characters and iconic moments, plus a few other surprises along the way.
Image © Jeff Busby
“The number one comment we get at stage door (after of course ‘where’s Toto?’) is ‘it’s not what I expected’. Those who came a bit sceptical and were like, ‘oh, I know 'The Wizard Of Oz'’, were really surprised.
“The audiences just love the new additions, and the piece is so funny. I have trouble on stage sometimes not laughing at how funny the script is, and how funny the fellow actors in the piece are.
“In Sydney we were sold out I think almost every show, so it was really wonderful to be playing to full houses and having the audience love it and laugh along with it.”
Described by Producer John Frost as beautiful and sumptuous, the production transports audiences from sleepy, sepia-toned Kansas to the technicolour fantasy world of Oz.
“Andrew Lloyd Webber’s version is hugely revamped and spectacular to the eye. The use of projection is used a lot and it’s so clever. You can even hear the audience ooh and ah, and hear audible gasps when things happen. There’s a lot of pyrotechnics so it’s really just a feast for the senses. It’s really amazing.
“I really love the very end of the show. I can’t give too much away, but it’s different to the film and it’s different from any other musical that I can remember that’s happened. So the very end is really, really special and a beautiful moment. It’s such a beautiful show.”
The production boasts a collection of over 130 individually tailored garments, including Dorothy’s iconic ruby red slippers which are decorated with over 4,000 hand-applied Siam coloured Swarovski crystals.
Image © Jeff Busby
“The costumes are incredible. The detail on them from the Munchkins to the citizens of Oz are just so wonderful, and especially the three friends; Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow. I look across the stage at them and get completely transported into thinking that they are really who they are; that they are really a tin man or really a lion.”
One character that doesn’t need a costume is Dorothy’s loyal companion, Toto, played by Australian Cairn Terriers Trouble and his understudy Flick. Trained by Luke Hura, the country's leading film, television and theatre dog trainer who trained Koko, the star of the film ‘Red Dog’, as well as Buddy who played Sandy for the GFO production of ‘Annie’ in 2012, Flick and Trouble win audience’s hearts performing a variety of tricks 'set to script'.
“Trouble [Toto] is definitely the star of the show, the biggest crowd pleaser and the most popular. He definitely knows how to work his angles and moments. He looks up at me like he’s a human while he’s acting in a scene with me, and that always gets butterflies going in my tummy. He is absolutely a scene stealer in the best possible way.
“Funnily enough, before we started rehearsals he was just a normal dog. He had to learn quite a lot of tricks on cue, like jumping on laps and jumping into arms and running on and off stage, and it’s amazing now how responsive he is. At the beginning we had to give him little cues and treats to tell him you’re about to run off stage, but now he hears it in the dialogue and does it himself.”
Image © Jeff Busby
‘Over the Rainbow’, ‘We’re Off To See The Wizard’ and all the other beloved Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg songs from the Oscar-winning movie score are featured in the show, as well as five new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
“The new songs just complement the piece so well, and really give a further understanding to the characters that are maybe a little bit overlooked in the film, such as Glinda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West. They are given a song each, and that really gives you a little bit more insight into their characters and their paths into the story. Anthony Warlow also has a couple of extra songs, and I mean, he’s theatre royalty, so who wouldn’t want him to be singing with a voice like that?”
Stepping into Dorothy’s ruby red slippers has given Samantha a deeper insight into the timeless appeal of Dorothy’s journey to the merry old land of Oz.
“The book was written in 1900 and the movie was released in 1939, yet the circumstances and the meaning of the play is so relevant to 2018. It’s all about appreciating the things we have around us and the importance of family, and these ideas will never fade, and I think that’s what’s been most surprising. That you can take a piece from so long ago and drop it in a modern audience, and it relates closer to home than ever.
“I love the show, and everyone that comes along loves the show as well, so it’s very, very rewarding. I love that it’s a show for all ages as well. I’m just having the best time. It really is a dream come true.”
'The Wizard Of Oz' Dates
1-29 April – Adelaide Festival CentreFrom 12 May – Regent Theatre (Melbourne)
