We were lucky enough to be invited to the Tyne Theatre and Opera House this Saturday to see their latest Easter panto The Wizard of Oz.
We were off to see the wizard, thanks to the same team behind previous spectacular pantomimes Peter Pan, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Tyne Theatre & Opera House has once again teamed up with Enchanted Entertainment to bring the magic of L. Frank Baum’s much-loved fairy tale to the North East.
We took our seats and got cosy, ready to join Kansas farm-girl Dorothy and her pet dog Toto on this magical adventure. Toto was an instant hit with the crowd and as they set the story out in the opening scene. The lead star of the show Dorothy was played by Ellena Bacon. She gave a brilliant performance, and the panto had all the usual energy of an Enchanted Entertainment production, with high pace dance routines, humour, effects, alongside classic Wizard of Oz hits, show tunes and pop music hits for all ages. The crowd was soon singing along and in full panto flow.
As the weather took a turn for the worse and the storm blew in, Dorothy was transported to Oz, where event began to unfold in the classic well known storyline. We gradually met all of the characters and began the journey down the Yellow Brick Road.
No panto is complete without a villain, and this was no exception. We went the Wicked Witch played by Joelle Moses. Joelle has been featured on popular TV talent show hits such as The X Factor in 2008 and The Voice UK in 2012 as a live show finalist, under the mentorship of Will.I.AM of The Black Eyed Peas. She revelled in the performance and had the whole crowd booing her every dastardly deed.
Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Royle played the Scarecrow. He brought the house down with his mix of comedy, juggling, fooling around and audience participation. His cheeky antics and ad libbing even had the cast in fits of laughter at times. The audience interaction was a real highlight and brought a lot to the show, giving it a real energy.
Stevi Ritchie from The X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother played the Tin Man. He was another crowd favourite and was the butt of many of Steve Royle’s pranks throughout the show. You could tell he was genuinely enjoying himself.
Tyne Theatre’s very own star Lewis Denny played the Cowardly Lion. He was great and brought a great deal of humour to the show.
The pantomime was jammed packed with laughs, musical numbers and dance routines. As well as a few surprises for the crowd. All in all it was a brilliant performance and one we would definitely recommend to our readers. It was true to the original story with some fun and pleasant surprises, the cast were full of humour and energy, and the audience participation was brilliant. One the kids will definitely remember.