Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: April 15 2019
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool
Pantomime has become a long-standing tradition in the UK around Christmas time, with many families attending theatres each year during the festive season, ready to shout and scream for their favourite characters, whilst booing for the baddies. Over the past decade, the popularity of Easter and even summer panto’s has increased so much that most theatres now offer a short run during April or the summer holidays.
LHK Productions has regularly produced the pantomimes at the Epstein Theatre for many years, and lots of the audience members return annually to see their favourite actors performing. With a full audience for press night, it was clear to see why.
The Wizard Of Oz is a classic story, that most, if not all, children and adults will be familiar with. The story follows Dorothy and her little dog Toto, who are caught in a tornado and somehow end up flying over the rainbow, where they end up in Munchkinland, and realise that they are not in Kansas anymore. They meet the Munchkins, and the beautiful witch Glinda, who tells them to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where they can meet the powerful Wizard Of Oz, who can help them return home.
On the way, they meet a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion, who decide to join Dorothy and Toto on their quest to find the Wizard. When they eventually get their audience with the Wizard, he asks them to kill the Wicked Witch and bring her broom to him as proof. Upon killing the Witch, they return to the Wizard with her broom, only to find that the Wizard is a fraud! In the end, there is a happy ending as the characters all get their wishes, and Dorothy clicks her ruby slippers and returns home with Toto.
Although the story in this pantomime was slightly disjointed, it was very easy throughout for the audience to follow. With lots of exciting songs and dances, the show was a bright spectacle throughout. Children (and adults!) were kept gripped, and were constantly joining in with the shouting and screaming, the cheering and booing.
The songs in the show were a collaboration between songs from the actual Wizard Of Oz (such as Somewhere Over The Rainbow and If I Only Had A Brain) and some great catchy pop tunes that the audience loved to sing along with. Sometimes, there seemed to be a few sound issues during the songs, especially with the male performers, as either their microphones were too low, or the music was too loud. We were sat near to the front and were struggling to hear some performers.
A team of dancers were present throughout, also doubling up as villagers in the Emerald City. During their routines, these dancers were slick, and the choreography by Holli Jo Bradley was also perfectly suited to the songs they were performing. The two male dancers particularly stood out during these routines. They were also joined by a team of juvenile dancers; Jelli Studios were having their turn during this performance. In the two routines they were part of, they were very entertaining and energetic. It would just have been nice to see them a little bit more during the show!
The cast worked well together to perform this classic tale. Lola Saunders as Dorothy is likeable throughout, and has some lovely vocals in her songs, as well as great animal management on stage!
Lewis Pryor plays the Scarecrow, and is one of the main characters who carries the show. A rising star in Liverpool, he has performed for LHK Productions five times now, and has become a favourite for audience members, many of whom return each season to see him. He has the ability to keep an audience focused on the scene, whilst still cracking out some great jokes. Present in most scenes during the show, he kept his energy levels up throughout and never lost his cheeky personality.
Claire Simmo is another Liverpool favourite and regular in pantomimes. This time, she has the honour of playing the good witch Glinda, who pops up with advice for the characters to help them on their way. In a very sparkly costume, she had all the little girls wanting to be her!
Lindzi Germain plays the Lion, who actually has one of the lead roles, eventually being the one to kill the Witch. Germain is hilarious throughout, with brilliant one-liners, and jokes that had the audience rolling round in their seats.
Sean Smith plays the Tinman, another companion that Dorothy meets on her way to the Emerald City. Smith has some great comedic scenes, and really gets to show off his vocal skills throughout, coming across as the strongest singer in the cast. His rendition of You’ve Got The Love was very entertaining, and his vocals during this were excellent, combined with his great dancing.
Michael Chapman plays the Wicked Witch, the dame character in this show. He is brilliant throughout, and has great one-liners! His chase scene through the audience had the audience howling, especially when his wig fell off! Chapman is a multi-talented performer; he also directed and wrote the show.
A last-minute addition to the cast, Thomas Galashan as the Wizard performed very well, despite only having one day’s rehearsal. His use of accents was brilliant, as he was first known to us as Antonio, an Italian villager, before we knew him as the Wizard, with his native Irish accent. Galashan fit in well with the cast, and it wouldn’t be known to audience members that he had such a short rehearsal period.
The main stand-out star of the show had to be Kizzy the dog as Toto! She was so content throughout, and was never disobedient or difficult to work with! Kizzy is definitely a dog to be looking out for!
The show ended on such a high, with the audience giving a standing ovation. Unfortunately then, the mood softened a little bit, as Lee Kelly himself was invited on stage. He told us that, unfortunately, this would be LHK Productions’ last pantomime at the Epstein. If this does end up being true, it will be such a shame for audiences, so hopefully we will see them again!
The show is only on for another week, so anyone who is thinking of seeing this should definitely book to see them, and maybe for the final time. #SAVELHKPANTO
Overall Rating: 9/10 – Outstanding
