Russell Grant is no stranger to the West End, having starred in Tom Brown’s Schooldays in 1971, but his upcoming turn in The Wizard of Oz marks the culmination of an unstoppable comeback.

Since opening at the London Palladium The Wizard of Oz has starred Danielle Hope, winner of BBC’s Over The Rainbow, who also leaves the yellow brick road in February to be replaced as Dorothy by runner-up Sophie Evans.

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We're off to see The Wizard

Inspired largely by the 1939 film starring Judy Garland with elements of the original book, the production tells the much-loved tale of a young girl’s adventure to Oz. With all the songs from the film’s Arlen/Harburg score — plus a few extra numbers written by The Lord and Tim Rice — it is a nostalgic masterpiece with a contemporary twist.

Red Shoe Blues, composed especially for the musical, is one of the best new songs and perfectly compliments the story. With clever lyrics and a catchy tune, it is powerful, humorous and performed wonderfully by the Wicked Witch of the West (Hannah Waddingham) who impresses vocally throughout the show. In contrast, Lloyd Webber and Rice’s Wonders of the World, sung by Professor Marvel (Michael Crawford) is rather dull and the scene would have been better completely spoken.

Danielle Hope — winner of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest TV talent show Over The Rainbow — dazzled in the role of Dorothy and her rendition of the iconic Somewhere Over the Rainbow was performed with real vulnerability and heart. She managed to keep a convincing Kansas accent throughout the production (even during her musical numbers) and endeared herself to the audience from the off. Wearing a blue and white gingham dress and with her hair in bunches, she looked the part and proved an excellent leading lady.

Hope also managed to perform with ease alongside the adorable westie who played Dorothy’s beloved dog, Toto. Trained to run on and off the stage, as well as bark and growl on cue, Toto was the absolute star of the show and made the perfect canine companion. Barely putting a paw out of place, Toto received some of the biggest laughs of the night and was a welcome member of the cast.

Well-loved actor Michael Crawford also took to the stage in this star-studded production and managed to capture the quirky personality of Professor Marvel with a compelling conviction. Although Wonders of the World was the weakest song of the production, he did his best and performed with enthusiasm. He also played the wonderful Wizard of Oz and was the perfect choice for a character who is— in reality — more nutty professor than an awe-inspiring ruler. He received plenty of cheers from an audience clearly happy to see him back on the stage and gave his all to the role.

Of course The Wizard of Oz would be nothing without Dorothy’s loyal companions and Paul Keating was fantastic in the role of Scarecrow. His comic timing was on point and he rolled around the stage with such flexibility it looked like he really was just full of stuffin’. With straw for hair and a carrot for a nose he certainly looked the part and his number If I Only Had A Brain was engaging and amusing — particularly when the crows in his field turned into backing singers.

Edward Baker-Duly also impressed as the rather emotional Tin Man dressed head to toe in what looked like a full suit of plate armour. Wearing arguably the best costume of the entire production Baker-Duly commanded the stage and even gave a delightful little tap dance during his solo number If I Only Had A Heart. The creaking sound effects perfectly complimented his strong, heavy movements and helped bring to life one of the most well-loved characters of all time.

David Ganly successfully managed to make the Cowardly Lion seem like a total wimp, however, sometimes his jokes fell flat — largely due to delivery rather than script. He performed If I Only Had The Nerve with conviction and had great on stage chemistry with the other friends of Dorothy. Unfortunately, his costume looked like it had been stolen from the dressing up box of a high school panto and was rather disappointing.

A visual delight, the musical was alive with colour and the sets were a sight to behold — credit to set and costume designer Robert Jones. The greys and browns of Kansas were replaced by bold bright colours in Oz, cleverly showing the stark differences between the worlds. The Emerald City, complete with green buildings, street lights and signposts was particularly memorable and the costumes were sensational during this scene — I liked the peacock feather hats. Arlene Phillips’ choreography was also spectacular during this part of the show, with the rather small ensemble taking full advantage of the stage and performing an excellent routine.

The yellow brick road was a tilted revolving path from which different scenery emerged and efficiently represented the character’s journey through Oz. As Dorothy and co made their way along the path, everything from poppy fields to a dark forest emerged and the transition of each set was seamless.

The special effects were also breathtaking and like nothing I have seen before in the West End. The Kansas twister scene which whisks Dorothy away to Oz was absolutely magnificent and cleverly recreated for the theatre. Jon Driscoll’s projection designs made the tornado look as if it really was flattening the village and the eerie music added to the sinister scene. The use of fire was well executed and gave the scenes with the Wicked Witch of the West an extra sense of realism.

The good and bad witches of Oz were also regularly suspended in mid air, with the Wicked Witch of the West at one time flying directly over the audience. Extremely impressive, this was very entertaining and prompted the audience to boo and hiss loudly. The flying monkeys were also terrifying and when one of them actually flew away with Dorothy, it was a technically fantastic moment.

Overall, The Wizard of Oz is an imaginative and creative adaptation of a much-loved fairytale. Well-constructed and thoroughly entertaining, the show is great for families and really is a must-see.

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Off to see the Wizard!

The musical, which officially opened its doors on March 1 2011 will now dazzle on stage for four months longer than planned due to its popularity.

A family-friendly and imaginative production, The Wizard of Oz features a talented cast including Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Hope (Dorothy), runner up Sophie Evans (who takes the lead on Tuesdays and when Danielle is on holiday), Michael Crawford (Wizard), Hannah Waddingham (Wicked Witch Of The West), Edward Baker-Duly (Tin Man), David Ganly (Lion), Paul Keating (Scarecrow) and Emily Tierney (Glinda).

Directed by Jeremy Sams and with choreography by the talented Arlene Phillips, the musical is based on the 1939 film of the same name and brings a well-loved tale to life on stage. Containing all the popular songs from the movie score and a host of new material, the show really is a must-see.

The full cast album recording of The Wizard of Oz will be released on the 9th of May and you could be in with a chance of receiving a free copy.

Simply book The Wizard of Oz as part of a theatre break today from just £102, email your confirmation reference to marketingteam@show-and-stay and we will send the first three people a CD.

Image by Alan Light@Flickr

The music legend, well-known for hits including Mandy, Could It Be Magic, Looks Like We Made It and Copacabana will light up the stage at the ceremony which will be hosted by Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011.

Details of his performance are yet to be announced, however, he will perform alongside West End sensation Kerry Ellis who recently enjoyed a successful run as Nancy in the hit musical Oliver!

Alfie Boe, Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams will present awards at the star-studded ceremony alongside a host of other big-name celebs including Amanda Holden, who is set to play Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical; Danielle Hope, currently treading the boards as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz; Wicked star Rachel Tucker; Theatreland sensation Elaine Paige and the legendary Sir Patrick Stewart.

There will also be performances from nominated musicals including Sweet Charity, Into The Woods, Love Story, Fela!, Legally Blonde the Musical, Passion and Love Never Dies.

Highly acclaimed composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim will receive the 2011 Special Award and is set to attend the awards ceremony in person to collect his much-deserved bronze statuette.

Sondheim has enjoyed a long and successful career and has worked on shows including A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods which played at the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre last summer.

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Barbara Windsor and Sir Michael Caine were joined on the rainbow carpet by Phillip Schofield, Rowan Atkinson, Michael Winner and Duncan James. Former Oliver! star Jodie Prenger was also in attendance, as were several runners-up from Over The Rainbow, the BBC casting reality show which discovered Wizard of Oz leading lady Danielle Hope.

Ms Hope’s portrayal of Dorothy was widely praised by critics, though the Daily Mail’s Quentin Letts alleged that Toto (played by a rotating cast of four west highland terriers) was the real star of the show.

Early reviews suggest that The Wizard of Oz may not be the most groundbreaking piece of musical theatre that the London Palladium has ever seen, but it’s certainly a high-quality musical perfect for a family night out.

Ticket and hotel packages to see this lavish new production of The Wizard of Oz are available from Show and Stay from £133pp including an overnight hotel stay in a hand-picked city hotel.

Sheila Hancock as Mother Superior in Sister Act

A sensational talent, Hancock made her West End debut in 1958 in the play Breath of Spring and has since appeared in many London productions including Annie and Sweeney Todd.

She appeared in the West End revival of Cabaret, as Fraulein Schneider and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Cast as Mother Superior in the hit musical Sister Act, Hancock returned to the West End in 2009 and in 2010 became a judge on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s TV Talent show Over the Rainbow, which saw Danielle Hope cast as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

A diverse actor, Hancock made her Broadway debut in the play Entertaining Mr Sloane (1965) and has also worked closely with the Royal Shakespeare Company performing in Titus Andronicus, The Winter’s Tale and A Delicate Balance.

Star of stage and screen, Hancock made her big TV break in the BBC sitcom Rag Trade and went on to appear in hit programs such as Doctor Who, Bleak House and New Tricks. Her film credits include Carry On Cleo, Buster and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

The widow of fellow actor John Thaw, Hancock has written openly about the love and loss of her husband in her duel biography The Two of Us: My Life With John Thaw and her moving book Just Me.

Hancock was awarded an OBE in 1974 for her services to drama and earlier this month accepted a lifetime achievement accolade from the Women in Film and Television organisation (WFTV).

Edward Baker-Duly (Tin Man), David Ganly (Lion), and Paul Keating (Scarecrow) will join Michael Crawford and Danielle Hope in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production when it opens at the London Palladium in February 2011.

Also joining the cast are Emily Tierney and Hannah Waddingham as Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West respectively.

Edward Baker-Duly’s West End credits include Gone With The Wind, Salad Days and West Side Story; while David Ganly boasts a turn as Amos in Chicago the Musical as well as roles in The Full Monty and The Lonesome West.

Two-time Olivier Award nominee Paul Keating’s work includes the title role in Tommy and the lead role of Seymour in Olivier Award-nominated production of The Little Shop of Horrors at the Menier Chocolate Factory and in the West End.

Meanwhile Emily Tierney, who takes on the role of Glinda has appeared in All The Fun of the Fair and Wicked the Musical.

Hannah Waddingham will create the role of The Wicked Witch of the West on stage, and has an impressive resume including A Little Night Music at the Garrick and Menier Chocolate Factory, The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (a role she originated in the West End, and played on Broadway), Into The Woods (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Bad Girls The Musical. Like Paul Keating, she has also also been nominated for an Olivier on two occassions.

The Wizard of Oz promises to be the biggest theatre event of the year, combining all the much-loved songs from the Oscar-winning movie score with new songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice,

Wizard of Oz theatre breaks are available from just £133 per person.

Best-known for being the first man to play the titular phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Crawford has not performed in the West End since he played Count Fosco in Lloyd Webber’s Palace Theatre production of The Woman in White in 2004.

The Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em star will join BBC reality casting show winner, Danielle Hope, at the London Palladium, further casting information has not yet been released.

Speaking to the Telegraph about his new role, Crawford said: “I’ve been fortunate working with Andrew before so I thought there was no harm in trying again. We’re all very excited about the show.”

She's back, and she's Dorothy. When Danielle's not doing it.

The news comes as no surprise to many. After her near-miss at stardom on Over The Rainbow, Evans was quoted saying that Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber would “look after” her for the next year.

Webber’s runner’s up often do rather well in Theatreland. Wolfboy’s Daniel Boys was a contestant on Any Dream Will Do, fellow Over The Rainbow contestant Lauren Samuels has been cast as Sandy in Grease in London, and I’d Do Anything contestant Niamh Perry originated the role of Fleck in Love Never Dies the musical.

Andrew Lloyd Webber himself made an announcement regarding Sophie’s casting at a press conference in Cardiff today. According to The Wizard of Oz’s official website, Sophie will play Dorothy on Tuesday evenings from 8 March 2011 and “for 7 performances in the weeks commencing 2 May, 5 September & 12 September 2011″.

Thank you to @Sarah_Daly for the tip.

Steph Fearon

Over The Rainbow semi-finalist Steph Fearon will star in Smokey Joe’s Cafe this summer at London’s Landor Theatre.

A talented performer, Fearon is set to lead the cast in the first major revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe since it ran at the Prince of Wales theatre in 1996. The show will run from 13 July to 15 August.

The 21-year-old recently sparkled on stage as she competed for the role of Dorothy, under the ever-scrutinous glare of Lord Webber. Although pipped to the post by the wonderful Danielle Hope, Fearon is yet another example of how it is not only talent show winners that go on to enjoy a successful career.

Aoife Mulholland, for example, shot to fame as a contestant on How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? She lost out to Connie Fisher, however, went on to star as Roxie in the West End production of Chicago and is currently playing Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde.

It’s great to see that Steph’s talents have not gone to waste. After all, she was described on Over The Rainbow as a triple threat — a great compliment to her singing, dancing and acting — and thoroughly deserves her role in this upcoming production.

Smokey Joe’s Cafe is directed and choreographed by Mykal Rand and produced by Thomas Hopkins.