The Wizard Of Oz Sheffield Lyceum Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by L Burton
Direct from The London Palladium, the sensational new production of one of the world’s most beloved musicals comes to Sheffield.
I remember the first time I watched this iconic film – it was one of the most influential films that shaped the way I still feel about children’s make-believe tales today. Last night, I joined Dorothy, Toto, and their friends on their remarkable adventure down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz.
Featuring the iconic original score from the Oscar-winning MGM film including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We’re Off To See The Wizard with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
The performance by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner and Dancing On Ice star The Vivienne as The Wicked Witch Of The West, was one of the things that made this spectacular production truly magical. Aviva Tulley (Book of Mormon) as Dorothy truly made the part her own and she was joined by Benjamin Yates (ITV’s Emmerdale) as The Scarecrow, Nic Greenshields (Love Never Dies West End) as The Cowardly Lion, MRLEY Fenton as the Tin Man and Alex Bourne as The Wizard – all of them giving equally fantastic justice to their performances. Emily Bull made a remarkable and stylish Glinda.
The company is completed by David Burrows, Adam Craig, Cole Dunn, Tyler Ephraim, Olivia Kate Holding, Thomas Kalek, Sadie Levett, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Martin McCarthy, Rose Ouellette, Fanja Parent, Alexandra Regan, Nathan Routledge and Sydney Spencer.
From the second the show started, one could just feel the electricity between the spectacular cast members on stage and we were hooked from the start. The cast put their heart and soul into this production and it was hard not to soak up every drop of surging energy coming from the super talented actors and actresses on the Lyceum stage last night. The light and stage design just added to the success – every light, sound and prop was fantastically placed and the choreography was second to none considering how many people were onstage in some scenes. We were mesmerised from the second the lights dimmed and so were the rest of the audience – transported to somewhere far over the rainbow and boy did we want to stay!
The Wizard of Oz on tour is presented Michael Harrison, Gavin Kalin Productions, David Mirvish, Crossroads Live, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Nick Thomas, Rupert Gavin and Mallory Factor, Jake Hine and Playing Field, by arrangement with the Really Useful Group Ltd.
The Wizard of Oz is on tour during 2024 and currently running at the Lyceum theatre in Sheffield until the 3rd February. Tickets can be purchased from here The Wizard of Oz | Sheffield Theatres and start from £15. Please note that there may be some cast changes at other venues – please make sure to visit here to see who may be on in a theatre near you Cast • Wizard of Oz • UK Tour (wizardofozmusical.com) Do not miss this memorable production of the Wizard of Oz which is a fabulous night out for the family. Definitely a 5 out of 5 rating for me.
Rating: 5/5