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by Matt Murray, directed by Tracey Flye

Ross Petty Productions, Elgin Theatre, Toronto

December 6, 2018-January 5, 2019

Ross Petty Productions’ The Wizard Of Oz is the company’s best panto in years. No, Petty has not returned as the villain and neither has Dan Chameroy as the wacky Plumbum. What the show does have is a tight, well-written script by Matt Murray, Tracey Flye’s taut direction and energetic choreography, five fine singer/actors playing Dorothy and her travelling companions and, best of all, Sara-Jeanne Hosie as the strongest villain to replace Petty since he retired in 2016.

Murray reimagines the Kansas of the movie as present-day pastel-coloured Ossington Avenue. Thanks to global warming, a tornado sweeps through Toronto and whisks Dorothy and Toto to an eye-poppingly vivid Oz (sets and costumes are by Cory Sincennes). The plot is familiar except that instead of Munchkins there are Ozians in charge of making sure Earth has clean air. Meanwhile, the cold-blooded witch Sulphura wants to heat up the Earth with her pollution-making machine.

All the leads have strong voices – this is one panto you could enjoy simply as a great song-and-dance revue. As Dorothy, Camille Eanga-Selenge is a major talent whose passion while calling out injustice on stage earned her calls of “Go girl!” from the audience. Matt Nethersole is an endearing Scarecrow and accompanied his snazzy “Shake Your Groove Thing” with fantastic dance moves. Eric Craig brings out the heartbroken Tin Man’s sorrow with a passionate delivery of “All By Myself”. Daniel Williston’s outer fierceness as the Lion comically collapses at the slightest challenge, yet he, too, is a fine singer as his funky rendition of “Jungle Boogie” shows.

Michael De Rose plays Plumbum’s more sedate relative Sugarbum, a witch whose spells no longer work, but whatever blandness we perceive De Rose shakes off with a rousing version Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” that brings down the house. Eddie Glen, now in his 16th Petty panto, plays Sulphura’s henchman Randy with priceless comic dissatisfaction.

After too many Petty pantos focused only on boos, Wizard brings back a wider range of audience participation, with characters asking children for advice or for help in rescuing Toto.

Such participation engages kids more in the narrative and, when the show is as full of life as this, it elevates everyone’s mood. Don’t miss it.

Note: This review appeared in NOW Magazine on December 8, 2018.

Photo: (from top) Matt Nethersole as Scarecrow, Camille Eanga-Selenge as Dorothy, Michael De Rose as Sugarbum, Eric Craig as Tin Man, Daniel Williston as Lion surrounded by Creatures; Edie Glen as Randy and Sara-Jeanne Hosie as Sulphura . ©2018 Racheal McCaig.

For tickets, visit http://www.rosspetty.com.