The Wizard Of Oz
Presented by: Catchment Players of Darebin
Venue: Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre
Reviewer: Drew Downing
Date Reviewed: 13th October, 2007

There’s no point introducing the show. The Wizard of Oz is magic. The chemistry of heartfelt characters, dazzling places and a magnificent scoring puts The Wizard of Oz as one of the greatest events of the last century.

Catchment Players of Darebin are now presenting this marvel at the Darebin Arts Centre.

What lies over the rainbow? Well, with Paul David Watson at the helm, I expected a hell of a lot! And yes, he delivered. I find myself in an amusing position. Having worked with Paul before, he encouraged me to analyze anything and everything on the stage. And that I did.

I’ll be honest here, the whole production simply smacked of Paul’s direction. The characterisations, the use of the set, the montages (well, even Rocky had a montage), symbolisms were all executed with wit and imagination.

It was clear from Paul’s notes in the programme that his passion for the show is strong and meaningful. An endless fascination with the ‘what if’ factor.

The cyclone moments were intense and a little bombarding. The orchestra went absolutely berserk in some sections whilst a clever vocal montage, made up of Dorothy’s family and friends, accompanied Dorothy’s ascent to Oz. Excellent lighting effects here. Smells like Jason Bovaird to me.

The visual artistry sometimes bordered on the average, but for the most part, the focus was not on the ‘wow factor’, but the characters and Dorothy’s perceptions.

The Wicked Witch’s entrance was powerful to say the least. With four C02’s, an orchestral hit and twenty-odd screaming Munchkins, that mean old hag sure made an impression.

Some other exceptional concepts were the interpretation of the Crows that hassle the Scarecrow. Delivered part Kubrick, part Fosse and part Poppins, they were a bizarre breed of bird! The representation of the Wizard’s façade through a giant circle struck reference to Professor Marvel’s illusion of the crystal ball. The open stage welcoming the second act resulted in lyrical focus. This was an excellent directional decision.

Staging was almost book like. With a major centre revolve and two smaller side stage revolves, the introduction of characters to Dorothy’s plot was almost like turning the page of a book. 

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any gayer, the Apple Trees. Goodness me. “Let’s get him, sister!”

Bows saw the entire cast in non-Oz attire. Returning to reality and what is.

The musical director for this production was Ben Hudson. With such experience, Ben recreated the magical score with warmth and vigor. As the scoring sounded to be mere reductions of the film version, it strays from traditional music theatre underscoring. ‘Jitterbug’ was saucy and hot.

Danielle Carlisle choreographed a challenging score. There were plenty of Fosse moments, however, the simplest of moments were the sweetest. Sometimes it seemed a little rock eisteddfod-esque, but with such a young cast I could understand issues with choreography. Regardless of this, the numbers were powerful and punchy. Movements were sharp and definite.

Lighting Designer was Jason Bovaird. Jason is a very good designer with an excellent understanding of colors in context to mood, which many designers unfortunately overlook.

Greenland Audio engineered the sound. Very clear sound from all vocalists and the orchestra. The horn section of the orchestra sounded particularly great in those menacing moments.

Casting a show such as The Wizard of Oz would be a terrific challenge. The production team as a whole should be commended on their choices.

Christina Prickett gave Dorothy Gale a new look on life. Ultimately, her story is one of better the devil you know, and she showed us this from her first few moments in Munchkin Land. ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ was dreamlike and powerful, however her accent strayed to English on occasion. Nevertheless, Christina has a rich MGM tone to her voice which held the audience from the opening scene.

As I have worked with both the Witches before, I hope my words are not founded as bias. Elizabeth Matjacic as Aunty Em / Glinda was magical. She’s covered in maternal instincts which makes her ideal for roles such as Glinda. An English accent took me by surprise, but her wholehearted goodness gave Glinda a spark that the film version lacks.

Miss Gulch / The Wicked Witch were channeled in Adrienne George. A very brash Miss Gulch, Adrienne’s Wicked Witch was sexual and a little bit psychotic. I loved it. Both Adrienne and Elizabeth seemed to struggle at times with their particular rigging setups, although I’m sure they will be much more confident in the performances to come.

Matt Skinner’s Tin Man was gorgeous. A man without a heart is a terrifying thought. Matt showed us that the Tin Man, although initially there for his own purposes, stayed for the love of friendship.

Jason Mill presented the Scarecrow. This man is in excellent connection to his body and its capabilities. Visually, he was second to none. Vocally, Jason fell a little short with the deeper range required.

The Cowardly Lion, brought to life by Angelo DeCata gave us an uncanny performance like that of Bert Lahr in the film. His energy and character voice was perfect, although he also struggled with the deeper notes of the role.

A young girl sat next to me with her dad. She knew all the songs, however no lyrics. She said after the show that the Scarecrow and Lion were her favourites. With three such talented gentlemen, it’s hard to choose.

Alan Stone performed the roles of Professor Marvel and the Wizard. He has a commanding voice, however accents were muddled. One line that did stand out was the famous “Silence, whipper-snapper” which was delivered as “Silence, whipper-snipper”! I did find him very fun as professor Marvel.

As Uncle Henry, performed by Simon Parris, took to the stage in the opening, I found him weak and meek. His black to white contrasts, like many other performers in this show, to The Gatekeeper were hysterical, quite an excellent performance to be found here. His European accent gave The Gatekeeper a little bit of Dr. Nick from The Simpsons. I truly loved it.

What a truly talented ensemble. This above all made Catchments production magic.

A challenging piece of theatre - well directed and well presented.

Congratulations.

Drew is an instrumental music and drama teacher, and is also completing a Bachelor of Applied Music (performance in voice). Musical Direction credits include ‘Zombie Prom’, ‘Footloose – The Musical’, ‘A Chorus Line’, ‘Fame – The Musical’, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, ‘Annie’, ‘Seussical’, ‘Bye Bye Birdie’, ‘Grease’  and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. On stage credits include Mickey in ‘Blood Brothers’ (Limelight), Ugly in ‘Honk!’ (Fab Nobs), Sonny in ‘Grease’ - (Windmill), RENT (Devanesen), Albert in ‘Bye Bye Birdie’, ‘Fame – The Musical’ (Panorama), ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (PLOS), Greg in ‘Sum of Us’ (FTG), Standing Room Only’s return season of ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ and his cabaret ‘Seemingly Most Innocent – The Songs of Alan Menken’ which featured at the 2007 Midsumma festival. He is currently rehearsing for PLOS’s High School Musical and will next year Musically Direct Disco Inferno for Fab Nobs Theatre.

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