Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The national tour of THE WIZARD OF OZ is a shadow of what it once was

• By drediman
• May 16, 2016
• No Comments

I recently caught Troika Entertainment’s national tour of The Wizard of Oz at the National Theatre in Washington, DC. The show is the expanded version which successfully played the famous Palladium in London five years ago, with supplemental, merely serviceable songs by none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber. Unfortunately, the current tour is a shadow of director Jeremy Sams’ glitzy affair at the Palladium, and the weaknesses of this stage adaptation of the immortal movie are more apparent than ever. Without the original staging’s turntable and other bells and whistles, the show now feels padded and the narrative momentum has become clunky in key moments (e.g., “On the Yellow Brick Road”, much of the second act).

Luckily, the current tour features some appealing performances. As Dorothy, Sarah Lasko possesses a fine voice and an uncanny ability to channel Judy Garland without resorting to camp. Shani Hadjian, as the Wicked Witch of the West, is absolutely delicious in the role, chewing what scenery is left (courtesy of the talented Robert Jones, sadly compromised here). The rest of the cast is good, although the ensemble numbers now look threadbare and insufficiently recalibrated for touring (the choreography is by Arlene Philips).

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

THE WIZARD OF OZ
National Tour, Musical
The National Theatre
2 hours, 20 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed