The Wizard of Oz in Concert was gorgeously presented by QPAC and up and coming Brisbane production company Prospero Arts for a short 5 show season in the stunning Concert Hall. The enchanting diversely cast Emerald blockbuster from the Golden Age of Hollywood based on the beloved tale by L. Frank Baum and music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, enthralled the Brisbane audience on Opening Night.
After the splashing success of their inaugural production of Singin’ in the Rain in 2022, Prospero Arts pulled together a delightfully inventive version of the story ingrained into most of our childhoods – The Wizard of Oz. Prospero Arts are known for combining current thriving musical theatre performers with energetic local talent from the theatre community into their stage shows and this dreamy production was no exception.
Arriving straight from the Hamilton Australian and New Zealand tour Elandrah Eramiha donned the sparkly ruby slippers and made Dorothy Gale shine in every which way. Her stunning rendition of ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ with her glorious voice made the audience gasp with nostalgia and admiration. She was so confident and brave in the scenes with the Wicked Witch and optimistic in her portrayal made famous by Judy Garland in the film. Elandrah looked like she was home on stage perfectly cast in the joyous leading role she was born to play.
Euan Fistrovic Doidge embodied the Kansas farm hand, Hunk and the first friend Dorothy meets in Oz, the kooky Scarecrow and with infinite pearls of comedic wisdom. He gave the audience a brilliant show with his wonderful performance of ‘If only I had a brain’, with an incredible dance sequence throughout. He connected with all the characters delightfully especially with Elandrah as Dorothy with their little quirky moments together. It was a no brainer to have Euan bring to life the man of straw in this incredible show.
Mark Hill presented his true warm heart to the attentive audience as the emotive Tin Man and Kansas man Hickory. His talents shone through with his sunny persona as he gloriously sung ‘If I only had a heart.’ Musical theatre superstar and an integral part of the iconic Tap Pack Mark knew how to entertain the crowd. He illustrated his unstoppable tapping abilities in this number and concluded with rapturous applause from the spellbound patrons.
Monique Sallé roared with distinct humour into the Concert Hall as the Cowardly Lion and Kansas counterpart Zeke. Her lovable New York lion accent was enticing from the first introduction as she gave the audience a hilarious insight into her interpretation of how sensitive and wonderfully feminine the lion is. Monique’s performance of ‘If I were King of the forest’, was delightful and her vibrato was tremendous.
Her loving bonds with Dorothy and the friends were undoubtedly courageous and comedic, especially when she is hugging her tail in fear and simultaneously leading the group into the Wicked Witch’s castle. The diverse casting was incredibly commendable as Monique played a traditionally male dominated role, it was fantastic to see how different and wonderful she made the character, but it also didn’t change the essence of the character we all know and love.
Australian theatre superstars, Angelique Cassimatis and Loren Hunter personified the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North with such power and grace respectively.
Angelique Cassimatis was larger than life as the nasty Miss Gulch at the beginning of the show, as she terrorised Dorothy and her innocent dog Toto (played by two tiny little real-life adorable on-stage dogs). She was then transformed into the green machine that is the Wicked Witch of the West and was equally as wicked with a menacing cackle that resembled Margaret Hamilton in the original film. Angelique thrived in this role with her perfectly crafted Witch voice and smoke bombed in and out of scenes with threats for Dorothy, she was faultlessly cast for this part and owned the stage.
Loren was a vision in purple as the glorious Glinda the Good Witch and was surprisingly very comedic and sarcastic with her depiction of the sweet character. As Glinda, Loren was confident in her representation of the character and sung beautifully the famous ‘Come out, come out’ to lure the Munchkins out of hiding. Additionally, she embodied Dorothy’s warm Auntie Em with love, and meekness in the beginning when she let Miss Gulch take her dog away.
Michael Tuahine took on the role of Professor Marvel in Kansas and The Wizard brilliantly and with a tremendous head on his shoulders so to speak. He spoke from the heart and presented how cowardly The Wizard of Oz is truth.
Tim McCallum gave himself to the part of Dorothy’s Uncle Henry with such tenderness and soul. Tim enlightened the audience with his big grin, southern twang, and genuine care for the character of Dorothy. He also turned on the charm in the Emerald City as the gatekeeper and performed fantastically in ‘The merry ole land of oz.’ It was beautiful to see how inclusive Prospero Arts is with all walks of life including Tim by catering for his disability on stage, which didn’t affect his roles and the magic of the story whatsoever, it was heartwarming to witness.
The Ensemble actors and dancers lit up the stage throughout their various roles during the show. The talented group included Max Bimbi, Antonia Marr, Maddison Price, Ethan Ritchie, Hannah Stanton and Suzanne Steele. They were incredibly whimsical and phenomenal dancers, particularly in ‘The merry ole land of Oz’ and a myriad of laughs when they were playing the Scarecrow’s crows and the apple trees particularly. The show wouldn’t be complete without them. It was also wonderful to showcase local Brisbane talent with the sweet children who played the comedic Munchkins at the start of the show.
The iconic 1939 classic was brought to life so exquisitely by Director extraordinaire Amy Campbell. The performance pulled out all the stops and was so inventive in their visual elements. The creative and immersive projections on the screen at the back of the stage took you to the world of Oz. Twister was expertly animated to show the flying farm cow, Miss Gulch on her bicycle, yellow brick road, the life-like Emerald City and more. The exquisite costumes were made by the creative Corneila Cassimatis
Prospero Arts and QPAC produced another magnificently inclusive and diverse show with The Wizard of Oz In Concert. The cast were divine and the stunning Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra on stage led by Musical Director Andrew Worboys was enchanting for the audience. Don’t miss out on this trip down memory lane, for this tale of loyalty, finding home and lots of colour at the Concert Hall, QPAC.
TICKETS || Concert Hall, QPAC
Playing now until 2 July
All images Darren Thomas.
The Fame Reporter 