Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
Many people are familiar with L. Frank Baum’s timeless story, The Wizard of Oz. In the early 1970’s William F. Brown and Charlie Smalls took the family favourite and turned it into a “Super Soul Musical” entrenched in African American culture. Director Josette Bushell-Mingo’s revival at the West Yorkshire Playhouse is an absolute joy to see and will delight audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
The musical relies on the sense of community. Originally intended as an allegory for black struggle in America, The Wiz brings people together, uniting them over common problems. This revival plays well with the sense of community; not only are the ensemble cast made up from young aspiring locals but Bushell-Mingo’s Dorothy (The X-Factor’s Treyc Cohen) starts out not in Kansas, but in Leeds. The script is slightly altered to suit a Leodensian audience such as the inclusion of sly jibes at neighbouring city Bradford. The roars and cheers from the spectators were sure to have any interloping Bradfordian squirming in their seat! At odds with this was Cohen’s strong Birmingham accent but all issues with this were quickly forgotten when you heard her sing. The power and clarity of her voice was mesmerising and filled the cavernous venue with ease.
The most impressive element of the whole production was the music. I often think that recordings pale in comparison to live performance and this show was testament to that theory. The joy of soul music is the very passion that goes into it, regardless of musical dexterity. Although, that being said, each and every performer was outstanding and moving to listen to. I’d hate to pick out a performer in particular to make note of for fear of disregarding others of equal talent and ability.
Dorothy’s faithful triumvirate of Cowardly Lion (Clive Rowe), faithful Scarecrow (Wayne Robinson) and soulful Tin Man (Horace Oliver) were all charming and humorous, each fulfilling their role with utter sincerity. The supporting cast and ensemble were marvellous and took to the stage with a level of gusto and enthusiasm that ignites a reciprocal energy in the audience. Fun and feisty, the musical delivered a thoroughly enjoyable evening that left every member of the audience whooping and hollering at the finale.
The set and costume matched the vibrancy of the music. Bold colours and glitz were the order of the day and the tornado not only transported Dorothy, but the whole audience, from the dingy urbanity of Leeds. Rose Maggiora must be commended on her design which utilised the huge space of the Quarry Theatre well and left no corner untouched by the magic of Oz.
Having said all this, I still retain one specific reservation about the entire production. Maybe it is the theatre student in me, but I couldn’t help but think the scenes between the songs became very stagnant and didn’t seem to be thought through particularly well. Blocking was stodgy and the audience were pushed to imagine the journey the four friends took as there seemed to be very little movement taking place at all! Maybe it is the majesty of the musical numbers but I couldn’t help but want the actors to hurry up with their dialogue so we could get to the next song. This is often a danger with musicals and although the performers all coped well it seemed clear that the musical only acted as a vehicle for these magnificent song and dance routines. It almost felt as though Bushell-Mingo was more concerned with impressing audiences with showstoppers rather than the narrative quality of the show. As a result, the plot became stilted and unimportant.
Nevertheless, the music and performances are inspiring and brilliant. Audience members were singing along and almost dancing in the aisles. There is no denying that The Wiz is an unstoppable force of fun and excitement and a much-recommended night out for anyone suffering the end-of-year blues.
The Wiz is showing until Saturday 16th July at the Quarry Theatre in Leeds. Tickets can be bought from the West Yorkshire Playhouse website.
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