Call me old-fashioned, but I like my musicals to feature singers. Hornsby Musical Society's The Wizard Of Oz has too few of those. Oh sure, there are quite a number of quite fine actors, but you can't have a Dot that can't sing. You can't take on an iconic musical (in fact it goes beyond that, to unassailable, almost sacred, cultural icon) that featured an iconic, untouchable star, and cast an actor on their way to being a singer, but a long way from the destination, and get away with it. If I hadn't strenuously resisted, I could easily have walked out in the early moments of this production, staged in a cold, cavernous, reverberant room at the local RSoLe. This, despite a big effort to get there.Fortunately, things improved. The screens, to set scenes, weren't a bad concept, but were too clinical and contrived to create real atmosphere. And, believe me, this room needs all the ambience it can get. Staging and sets were paltry, costumes were often awkward, inappropriate and unattractive (though, the tinman's, lion's and witches' were reasonably imaginative, I s'pose) and vocals poor. Notable exceptions were the scarecrow, who was excellent in all other departments too, and lion, who did his best Rick Mayall meets Freddie Mercury, which worked a treat. The wicked witch didn't exactly have a wicked voice, but it was adequate. She was first-class in other aspects of performance, however. So too, the good witch proved a very engaging actor, but meagre singer. The tinman might've seen himself as some kind of reincarnation of an 80s, pre-Britpop crooner, but while vaguely tuneful, the timbre of his voice was, sad to say, very displeasing. Even the chorus was sometimes off-key; at other times robust and almost faultless. Similarly, the band, at times, sounded all over the shop, but when they were good, they were pretty bloody good. And tight. That's when the mix didn't have them drowning out the vocals. Then again, maybe that was a good thing. All round, a confounding, frustrating state of affairs.
That meant we had to fall back on the wit of the musical itself and of the director. Having a human Toto is a good idea. Thank God he's mute. I wish a few of the would-be singers were, too. And the punked-up songs afford new generations of fans to relate and even some of us old ones: it's Oz for baby-boomers and beyond. Speaking of Oz, he was good, but needed a more resonant, commanding, God-like voice, to begin with. Some of the dialogue was lost in the mix too; another aggravation. At one point, despite its strengths, I asked myself why this musical was even written, since the original is so close to perfect. And wasn't this kind of done, a lot earlier, with the African-American version, The Wiz?
If you live in Hornsby, you might as well go. But if you're not in spitting distance, what's on the box?
Hornsby Musical Society presents
The Wizard of Oz
Music & Lyrics by Harold Arlen & E. Y. Harburg
Adapted by Frank Gabrielson, background music by Herbert Stothart
Venue: Hornsby RSL, 4 High Street Hornsby
Dates: Friday 1 – Saturday 9 April, 2011
Tickets: $30 adult, $25 concession, $22 student (+ booking fee)
Bookings: 9477 7777 | www.iwannaticket.com.au
Visit: www.hornsbyms.org
