Review: Wizard production is magical treat for all

When my own children were much younger, we would have gone to see the festive show at Cannock's Prince Of Wales theatre.

But, due to the council deciding to pull the plug on the venue (it has been closed and earmarked for demolition) it meant my grandson Lochlan could enjoy his own panto debut on our inaugural visit to the Hawbush Lane facility in Leamore.

We both liked what we saw. The theatre was impressive and I was delighted by the pantomime - oh, yes I was! Lochlan, meanwhile, was mesmerised by the experience of colours and lights and singing and dancing.

We all know the story: Dorothy Gale gets caught in a twister and ends up in the Emerald City, where she strives to locate the magical wizard to find her way back to Kansas with the help of a scarecrow, lion and tin man. There's the Good Witch Glinda on her side, while the Wicked Witch of the West attempts to stop her 

In this production there's a twist. The Tin Man is really a machine, programmed by the Wicked Witch to 'take care' of Dorothy. He also loves rock music and is 'made of heavy metal'. What's more, his idea of 'taking care' of Dorothy is decidedly different to that of the witch and he ends up falling for her.

As ever, there was audience participation and adult jokes that the younger members of the audience wouldn't understand, and local references including a Walsall hippo. And it wouldn't be panto without a dig at other Black Country towns: "Welcome to the land where people dress and talk funny," said Glinda, aka the Good Wench of Walsall. "No, I don't mean Dudley."

The lighting and music was spot-on, with a mix of old and new tunes. Ding, Dong The Witch Is Dead was delivered to the sound of Sandstorm by Darude, while Olivia Rodrigo's Good 4 U and Defying Gravity from the Wicked soundtrack were given an airing.

All cast members impressed. Nicola Harris-Smith as Dorothy had an authentic Kansas drawl, while Darren Haywood camped it up as a Black Country Glinda - ad libbing when he lost his underskirt in one scene. Megan Brayne as Lion, Matthew Harris-Smith as Tin Man and Rhys Jones as Scarecrow all shone, while despite receiving the biggest boos, Sophie Tuffnell as the villain of the piece the Wicked Witch was actually given a deserved round of applause at the end.

There was joy for four youngsters who were able to join the cast on stage for the rainbow song.

The Wizard Of Oz runs until Sunday. See walsallarena.com for tickets, or call 0300 555 2898.