The Epstein is situated in the heart of the city of Liverpool. The theatre is a lovely building inside full of character, great decor and architecture. The theatre gives the local talent and dance groups from the city the opportunity to get involved with their productions or to their own shows on stage too.
The Epstein is currently putting on a production of The Wizard of Oz as a pantomime over the Easter holidays, which is such a timeless, classic story that all audiences, old and young are familiar with and have a great affection for. The story has certainly stood the test of time!
The Wizard of Oz was jointly directed and written by Michael Chapman, who has done an incredible job bringing this classic tale to the stage. Although having such a large ensemble to work with, there was excellent direction demonstrated throughout the show. The script kept true to the original story with parallels of Wicked added too. (a nice touch!)
The dialogue between the characters was delivered effortlessly and there were a good amount of one-liners added that the audience really enjoyed. There were jokes for the kids and the adults as well. Laughter could be heard in good measure in certain scenes. Additionally, Michael Chapman played the protagonist, The Wicked Witch Of The West. He did a marvellous job entertaining the audience, especially the younger ones.
Lee Kelly produced The Wizard Of Oz for The Epstein, and he has done an excellent job bringing the show here and creating such a vibrant and highly energising element to the production. I noticed a few high production values with the costumes and the set design.
The cast consisted of Dorothy (Lola Saunders), Tinman/Hickory (Sean Smith), Scarecrow/Hunk (Lewis Pryor), Glynda (Claire Simon), Lion/Zeke (Lindzi Germain) and The Wizard (Thomas Galashan). There were also local dance groups from Liverpool including LHK Youtg Theatre, Jelli Studios, Funky Feet School of Dance and Chiktern Dance Studio. It was wonderful seeing local children having the opportunity to perform on stage in a theatre. They all did a fantastic job representing their dance groups.
The story opened with Dorothy in a state of panic as she had lost her beloved dog, Toto. A few moments later, she was reunited with Toto when she found him nearby being mistreated by The Wicked Witch Of The West. A storm headed towards Dorothy’s home, where she became trapped and lost. She soon discovered that she had been transported to Munchkin Land. Desperately wanting to return home, she was told by Glynda, she must follow the yellow brick road, keep to the path and see the Wizard. As Dorothy embarked on her adventure from Munchkin Land to the Emerald City, she met a few friends on her way along the yellow brick road, including the Scarecrow, the Tinman and then the Lion. The Scarceow would like a brain, the Tinman wanted a heart and the Lion would like some courage. After all becoming friends and realising they all needed something, they inevitably decided to visit the Wizard and see if he can give them what they want.
The chemistry between Dorothy and her friends was shown to great effect throughout the performances on stage. There was great affection for the characters. The dynamics of the good vs bad worked incredibly well. Everyone loves a baddie, don’t they?
I thought Lola Saunders' performance as Dorothy was especially good. She played the role with ease and brought a lot of innocence and naivety to the role. It’s such a iconic role to play, but Saunders did a wonderful job. Her presence was felt on stage and her performance got stronger as the show progressed.
Special mention to Smith, Pryor and Germain who played Dorothy’s friends, all working really well together bringing their characters to life. I thought Germain's comic timing was outstanding as always. Her one-liners were delivered with ease and provided the audience with a lot of laughter.
Michael Chapman was absolutely brilliant in his role as The Wicked Witch. He entertained the audience with his one-liners and humour throughout the show. I noticed the younger ones really enjoyed his stage presence, which his character relished with delight and joy. Claire Simon lit up the stage with her colourful outfits and sparkling jewellery.
Thomas Galashan was really good in his role as the Wizard. He displayed some great qualities in his mischievous character. I thought the dog playing Toto was good and very calm, when on stage. There was a strong ensemble of dancers from loca schools in Liverpool, who all did an exceptional job dancing on the stage at certain intervals during the show.
The set design of The Wizard Of Oz was minimal, with a house and various sceneries dropped for certain scenes during the show. Again, props were minimal, but the essential ones were there including the red ruby slippers. The costumes were very good, great mixtures of colours used. No expense was spared as attention to detail was taken into account for all the central characters.
Lighting was very good, well done to Greg Jones for achieving this. There was a great balance between light and darkness shown throughout the show. I did notice that whenever the protagonist, The Wicked Witch Of The West was on stage, the atmosphere became incredibly dark and more green too. Sound by Jack Halliwell was precise and all dialogue could be heard easily.
All the music was well performed and sung by all. Some great songs chosen and worked really well in the scenes they were performed in, Such a lovely touch having modern songs mixed amongst classic ones during the show. For me, my favourite was (of course!) 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow', which was sung beautifully by Saunders, who displayed so much emotion during the performance, whilst singing the timeless classic song. Choreography was handled very well throughout the show. Bearing in mind, a lot of youngsters were involved in these scenes. They were done effortlessly and effectively.
It was absolute pleasure seeing this adaption of The Wizard Of Oz, which displayed high production values. Additionally, a lovely touch to showcase local talent from some dance groups in Liverpool. I would highly recommend you go and see this wonderful show. A great show for families with children.
Reviewer - Mark Cooper
on - 15/4/19
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