As talked about previously in my blog post ‘Defying Gravity‘, I’m a huge theatre fan. I’ve seen a number of productions at various theatres, including Shakespeare in Stratford, musicals at the Hippodrome, amateur productions and open air theatre.
One theatre I’d never been to before is the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Over the Christmas break I went to see The Wizard of Oz, which ran from the 24th of November 2018 to the 13th of January 2019. This was a very contemporary production that I really enjoyed. Being a huge fan of Judy Garland I was interested in what the theatre company were going to do to modernise it.
The production in The Rep was different to the huge productions I’d seen at places like the Hippodrome with a smaller cast and multiple roles played by the same actors due to the premise of the film.
Overall I really liked the production and there were a few stand-out cast members which I’d say were the Scarecrow and Wicked Witch, who I think were the best roles in the production, and of course the real dog that played Toto (so cute!). I also thought the Lion had a beautiful voice and the songs in the musical were all executed really well. Honeycomb ice cream in the interval also had to be a highlight (and because I was eating in the dark I got it all down my top! Because I’m classy like that.)
Another thing I loved that The Rep has done is have art work featured around the building and it really told the story and looked contemporary and modern. Art work was also featured downstairs in the Birmingham Library next door.
So there’s lots of shows at The Rep and I’ve got my eye on a few more, so keep your eyes open!
R.B