The Idols tackle one of the most beloved musicals of all time at the Little Theatre in Leicester this week: The Wizard of Oz. Join Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion and Toto as they sing and dance their way along the Yellow Brick Road.

The show is perhaps the most well known story of both stage and screen. When a twister hits Dorothy Gale’s (Stacey Henson) farmstead, she finds herself blown out of Kansas and into the fantastical Munchkinland. In doing so, she accidentally lands her house on Wicked Witch of the East leading her sister The Wicked Witch of the West (Abbie Stocker) to vow vengeance.

The only way for Dorothy to get home is to follow the Yellow Brick Road to Oz to gain the assistance of The Wizard (James O’Donnell). Along the way she befriends a Scarecrow (Ben Cusack) in search of a brain, a Tin Man (Lizzie Bywater-Florence) in search of a heart, and a Cowardly Lion (Norman Buckby) in search of courage. And, of course, Dorothy is accompanied the whole time by her trusty canine companion, Toto (Anabel).

They say to never work with kids or animals, but this production shows why that is actually a winning combination. First, Anabel is utterly adorable every moment she is on stage. Secondly, the team of children are bursting with energy throughout and their joy shines through into their performances. Particularly impressive were the Ding Dong the Witch is Dead routine and the Jitterbug dances. All of the children should be extremely proud of the brilliance they bring to the show.

Organising the dance routines is Danielle Sanders, who has managed to create complex choreography for a very large cast of both children and adults. To manage the sheer number of people on stage is no easy feat, let alone have everyone in the right place, at the right time and doing the right movements. Kudos to both Sanders’ choreography and the impressive dancing ability of the cast.

At the heart of the show are Dorothy and her three new companions.

Henson captures the wide-eyed wonder of Dorothy’s character well and is endowed with a superb voice. Somewhere Over the Rainbow requires a lot of courage to perform, especially as Henson is the only person on stage during it meaning there is nowhere to hide. Yet her voice captures the audience’s attention immediately, with an emotional power behind it. Henson has a strong ability to tell a compelling story through her voice and facial expressions.

Cusack is perfect as Scarecrow, bringing a seemingly effortless energy to the straw-stuffed character. He lumbers around the stage with humorous clumsiness and has a strong stage presence coupled with a wonderfully smooth singing voice. His charisma is infectious and his performance of If I Only Had a Brain is one of the highlights of the show.
Bywater-Florence is likewise great in the role of the Tin Man. She has a powerful voice that carries well and has tap dancing skills to match! Both Scarecrow’s dance number and If I Only Had a Heart are choreographed by Bywater-Florence. Both routines fit in with the rest of the shows choreography whilst being imbued with great characterisation

The Lion as portrayed by Buckby is a lot of fun. His exaggerated New York accent coupled with a campish persona makes the Lion a joy to watch. He brings comedic light to the role, but still manages to find the depth in the character.
Henson, Cusack, Bywater-Florence and Buckby (and Anabel) have great on stage chemistry making the development of the friendship between them easy to buy into. It’s hard not to smile as they all sing We’re Off To See the Wizard whilst dancing arm-in-arm.

The physicality that all three of Dorothy’s companions have elevates the show. How they have the energy to keep going with that level of energy whilst wearing full costumes and makeup is a mystery!

The creative costumes and multi-level stage design add interest and colour to the already dazzling production. Unfortunately, the set design and the need to allow for plenty of stage space for a large cast means the musicians aren’t visible on the stage. This is a shame as the music is played with both accuracy and character under the musical direction of Derek Hunter.

The brains behind this production is director Mitchell Smith who does a good job bringing together the multitude of elements that go together to form a show as complex as this.

On the whole, the show is well paced and the cast, ensemble and children’s teams are all used to good effect throughout.
Leave Kansas behind and travel on an adventure to the Land of Oz in this joyous production of The Wizard of Oz by The Idols at the Little Theatre in Leicester this week.