This audience favourite was produced and directed by Chantelle Joseph and creative director Jane Joseph, choreographed by Nazene Langfield with music supervised by Callum Clarke, and was without a doubt an amazing show.
It truly was a feast for the eyes and ears, and I can best describe it as somewhere in-between a panto and a musical. A fabulous collaboration of acting, singing, dancing and comedy delivered in the most professional way.
Credit must be given to those behind the scenes from the creative director, stage and deputy stage managers, choreographer, scenery, wardrobe, costumes and sound and lighting to bring together this evening’s spectacular extravaganza.
The theatre was packed, a wide age-ranged audience were in attendance and the night was filled with laughter, interaction, boos at the wicked witch, excitement and singing, and happiness.
The curtain lifted to the good witch Glinda and wicked witch of the North on stage in dazzling sequinned costumes, Glinda donning a blue Cinderella gown and wicked Elphaba a black and green slinky number. The show follows the story of Dorothy and her dog Toto as they embark on an exciting adventure to the Emerald City, meeting enchanting characters including Scarecrow with no brain, Tin Man with no heart, Lion with no courage and cheeky monkey Nikko. Along the way they meet Munchkins in Kansas, played by the amazingly talented young juvenile dancers from Nazene Danielle School of Performing Arts in Liverpool.
Will the Wicked Witch succeed in stopping them reaching their glittering destination? Or will the good witch Glinda help the friends in their mission to meet the wonderful Wizard himself? I strongly suggest you go along and see for yourself.
The cast includes the fabulous Chantelle Morgan, who steps into the famous ruby red slippers to play Dorothy, and sings and acts superbly; she has graced the stage with well- known actor Luke Evans and performed with Gareth Malone. She wore the characters signature pigtails, gingham dress and red glittery shoes. David Heath plays the Scarecrow, he trained in musical theatre at the Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre, before shooting to fame on X Factor and Eton Road. His performance was my standout favourite of the night, his acting, singing, comedic timing and interaction with the audience was sublime; especially before the final scene when he invites children from the audience to join him singing ‘Old McDonald Had A Farm’ which was heartwarming.
Shea Ferron plays the Tin Man, Shea studied performing arts at the Institute of Contemporary Theatre in Manchester and he helped the Welsh singing group to the semi- finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2023.
Conor Barrie plays the Lion; he graduated from Liverpool Theatre School and has most recently appeared at St Helens Theatre Royal playing Gaston in the enchanting Beauty and the Beast. Hayley Russell plays Glinda; originally from Greater Manchester, Hayley has spent twenty years working as a professional production vocalist, band singer and dancer, supporting artists including Billy Ocean and Gareth Gates, she has appeared in many productions for Regal Entertainments.
Katy McKenna plays the Wicked Witch; she has appeared in many productions and is a favourite with St Helens fans, she is an experienced panto performer. Warren Donnelly plays the Wizard; Warren is well-known to TV viewers as Stan in the five series of Shameless and for his roles in hit shows like Tin Star, Moving On, Cold Feet, Life on Mars, and Roscoe in Coronation Street.
Toto was played by a real dog and was such a well-behaved cutie. He is one of two dogs, Buddy and Benny to perform during the week’s performances.
Together all the performers and everyone involved behind the scenes created a top-class performance that would not look out of place at the West End in London. My only criticism is, this production is only being performed here in St Helens for a week which means unfortunately there are a lot of people who will miss out on this memorable experience.
Different areas of St Helens are referenced to like ‘Fingerpost’ during the show, and fabulous songs like ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ a ballad sung by Dorothy, and the full cast sang Meatloaf's ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ and were joined by the audience singing along.
There were many changes of amazing scenery, beautiful creations, being a creative soul myself, I was in awe of them all, as I think audiences will be too. An ingenious interlude section towards the end of the show before the finale, was circus puppets performing to fabulous tracks like ‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘Jump Around’ by House Of Pain, finishing with two huge dinosaurs dancing. A real crowd pleaser for all ages.
This amazing panto delivered perfect performances, sensational costumes and set, and a fabulous soundtrack to sing all the way home to. I can sum up this enchanting production in just two words, “flabbergastingly good.” So come along all you young theatregoers and all, and allow yourselves to be transported to a magical mystical world of fun adventure and excitement.
Regal Entertainments Ltd presents this much-loved Panto ‘The Wizard of Oz’ from Saturday 25th to Friday 31st October.
Reviewer - Jill Ollerton
On - 26/10/25
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