Our local NODA rep, Di Gilchrist, came to see the show and afterwards gave us this report on her experience...
The story must be one of the best known ever, and most of the songs are still, and will be sung for many years to come, particularly 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. and 'The Yellow Brick Road'.
The method chosen to find their Dorothy (very novel, but rather like the X factor) certainly paid off for Braunton Productions and what a find she was, but it also brought them lots of publicity and interest from the general public.
All the main characters, without exception played their parts well, and it would be unfair to select any one performance in particular, as they were well cast and obviously worked well as a team. The singing was first class and only occasionally did the dialogue seem underplayed.
The Munchkins were extremely well disciplined, and it was good to see such confidence and stage presence in the young members of the society. The chorus had very little to do, but they certainly lived it up in 'The Jitterbug' and the 'Emerald City' numbers. In both these scenes the stage did look slightly overcrowded, but the choreography was good, and allowed everyone their own space, albeit very small. I wasn't sure about the Trees, they did look rather strange, but the crows were very entertaining.
The sets were good, although scene changes were rather prolonged at times, but the excellent orchestra kept the audience happy during the unavoidable gaps.
The costumes were excellent, and the lighting and special effects, especially in the storm scene were superb. Although I am not an advocate of personal mics, the effects created by a very talented sound engineer enhanced the performance.
Full marks to this society for having the courage of the LION, the heart of the TIN MAN, and the brain of the SCARECROW to provide North Devon audiences with shows that are both innovative and entertaining to young and old alike, and are well directed and performed.
