Mirvish presents Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production, "The Wizard of Oz"

Ask anyone about movies or books that made a huge impact on their childhood and "The Wizard of Oz" is bound to come up. Now, the Ed Mirvish Theatre has brought it to the stage! The play was very enjoyable, but it left this writer feeling like there was a little something lacking.

The search for Dorothy was chronicled late last year with the CBC's "Over the Rainbow", and Danielle Wade emerged the winner. Danielle was excellent in the lead role. At the beginning of the first song I was a little unsure of whether she'd hit the high notes but as soon as she did, she blew me away - the Judy Garland quality of her voice brings a sort of nostalgia to the character.

The rest of the play was also very well cast. Mike Jackson does a wonderful job portraying the sensitivity of the Tin Man; Jamie McKnight is very funny as the Scarecrow - I was impressed and very amused by how well he does physical humour; and Lee MacDougall is hilarious as the cowardly Lion in search of his inner courage.

The witches deserve mention as well: Robin Evan Willis is delightful as Glinda - she brings a certain humour to the character
that I really liked. Ayrin Mackie is excellently evil as the Wicked Witch and really makes the character someone you love to hate.

The sets in the show are gorgeous. From the farm to the land of Munchkins to the witch's castle, the sets transport you to different worlds.

Something I found interesting about the play was its use of digital media. A lot of special effects, like the twister, were projected onto a screen so they were quite lifelike. I have never seen a stage production make such extensive use of digital media; it was fascinating to see a new way of combining the timelessness of the stage with digital media, but it was something that, at least for this writer, will perhaps take some getting used to.

I mentioned earlier that it felt as though something was missing. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I was left a bit dissatisfied. Perhaps some sort of twist within the story-line - a modern take on some aspect of the plot - would have made it more intriguing as a stage production. Having said that, I think the actors did an excellent job of bringing the land of Oz to life, and I found it very entertaining.

Have you seen the show? What did you think of it? If not, are you interested in seeing the show? Feel free to drop me a line in the comments!

Introductions

Hey there!

This is my very first post, as I'm sure you can tell by your inability to go any further on this blog.

Since this is the first one, I'm just going to tell you a bit about what I'm expecting to write about on here. I'm interested in film, television, video-making, books, writing, music, travel...I like a lot of things.

When I write, other than for school, I feel a certain relief, like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. Sometimes I dream about weird or funny things and I enjoy writing those ideas down, and sometimes even developing them!

As a lover of many things, I often want to share my thoughts on them, but some things aren't necessarily relevant to everyone. By putting them here and reviewing them, or writing about my experience doing something, I think I'll be able to give my thoughts on books I've read, films I've watched, places I've traveled to, and in general, products I've used. Maybe I can even introduce you to something you've never heard of!

I am in no way sponsored by anyone or any corporation: any reviews I write are based on my personal opinion and experience, unless stated otherwise.

If you have any comments or suggestions, let me know in the comments section!