It’s Easter panto time and we popped over to see The Wizard of Oz at the Rhyl Pavilion Theatre, I have to say that it’s been a long time since I last went to the Easter panto at the Rhyl Pavilion, the last time was before the dreaded pandemic took all our fun away!
So today it was great to get the chance to join Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the cowardly Lion as they went on a panto-filled adventure through Oz to meet the legendary Wizard and defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.
Returning to the theatre after such a long time was a bit of a weird one, but I have to start off by saying that the work that has been done to the venue over the last couple of years looks amazing and feels so much more spacious and bright than it used to, there is also a very handy bar on the way in which makes it easier to grab a drink or possible pre-book your intermission drinks to save the queues, I digress so let’s get on to my thoughts of The Wizard of Oz.
Once I had picked up my ticket at the box office, I headed down the steps to my seat in row J which wasn’t too far from the stage and not too far off from center viewing, something I may regret later. The Rhyl Pavilion was buzzing with the laughs and chatter from all the children that were excited to see the show with their parents and grandparents.
It’s lovely to see theatres coming back to life after what they have been through thanks to Covid-19, but thankfully they have stood their ground fought through to be able to bring happiness again to many people and today’s Easter panto would do just that.
I won’t go into the story of The Wizard of Oz as I’m sure that we all know the idea and the story, but this production certainly has some nice laugh out loud moments and musical numbers that we may all know, but not the classic, “We’re off to see the wi….” due to copyright notices (lol).
Having a show like this during the Easter break is great for families to get away and forget the world for a couple of hours and it works, I looked around the theatre during the production and their wide open-mouthed children enjoying the comedy, especial the fart gags (but let’s face it farts are funny, right) and it was lovely to hear the innocent sound of laughter and watching them trying to catch the magical lights in the dry ice as it rolled across the audience area.
I really enjoyed the cast, panto favourite Kerry Katona donned the green mack up to take on the role of the wicked witch of the west and she had me in stitches with some of her lines, Kate Solman brought us the good witch to Katona’s evil witch with a delightful portrait of the good witch of the north.
Jamie Riding was brilliant in two roles, first, off we are introduced to the character of Auntie Em and then later the Cowardly Lion which I have to say from the moment the character came on to the stage I knew there would be plenty of laughs.
Joining the Cowardly Lion is Scarecrow played by Ryan Greaves who, for me, brought so much comedy and silliness to the part that worked great with the Lion, now this is a comedy duo that works so well.
Joining them is the Tin Man played by Blue Peter’s Barney Harwood, Tin Man may not have had a heart but he certainly had one in this show, I’m not sure what it was maybe it was the feeling of innocence that came across with Tin Man but I loved the character.
The Wizard is played by Coronation Street’s Brian Capron and I loved the way that he poked fun at himself throughout with the mentions of “Gale” and calling his agent while performing on the stage, a great way to break that fourth wall as it were.
But with the Wizard of Oz, there is one character that we can’t forget and that’s Dorothy who is played by Lauren Platt, she certainly brings the character to life on the stage and has a lovely singing voice that was a delight to hear in all the musical numbers that she performed.
As with all Pantomimes, there are all the shenanigans that go with them and The Wizard of Oz is no exception, with a reworking of the classic 12 days of Christmas, but this time the 12 days of Easter with loo rolls, beach balls, a bra that can hold three and sumo wrestlers which one of which was Kerry Katona, that really moment really caught me off guard so glad I didn’t have a mouthful of drink at the time.
Plus a rendition of the Wonkey Donkey, all I can say is that the third leg was in a most awkward place, slightly rude but the kids were screaming with laughter and isn’t that one the important things at a Panto, having fun.
I mentioned earlier where I was seated and some regret, now don’t worry this isn’t really a bad thing, but in all the years that I have been going to panto, this is the very first time that I have been soaked when the cast comes out into the audience with the super-soakers! Note to self, remember seating for future pantos lol.
The sets look great and had that old-style theatre feel from the days when I was a child and everything was so vibrant and looked like it had all been plucked from a classic fairytale book.
The music was perfectly set and sounded great with modern tracks and magically sounding moments, plus sound effects, all coming together to complete a wonderful package.
Anton Benson Productions always seem to put on a great show and they have returned this Easter with yet another wonderful and magical Panto that is great for all ages.
The Wizard of Oz is at the Rhyl Pavilion Theatre until the 17th April, 2022. Ticket Prices: £16, concessions £1.50 off, family ticket £58.
We're off to see the Wizard!
Event Title: The Wizard of Oz (Easter pantomime)
Event Description: The performance of the Easter time panto of The Wizard of Oz at the Rhyl Pavilion in North Wales feat Kerry Katona.
Start date: April 16, 2022
End date: April 17, 2022
Location name: Rhyl Pavilion Theatre
Address: East Parade, Rhyl, Denbighshire. LL18 3AQ.
Performer: Various
Offer price: 16
Currency: gbp
Summary
A fun show for all the family.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
