Set twenty years after the original story, Witches Of Oz invites back a changed, energy-charged Dorothy/Dorothey, played by Lily Downes, to Emerald City. Mulan Rouge’s creator Shay Shay wrote and directed the show, which celebrates people being comfortable in their own skin and not being afraid to be bold and bright. The dining experience accompanied by Oz-themed cocktails designed by Mimi Petley and George Islay Calderwood creates a remedy for a fun-filled evening.
The show starts in the shiny, glitzy stage of Munchieland, which is surrounded by golden cannabis leaves. Although it does not explicitly say in the programme, the audience is welcomed to a panto world of Oz, filled with puns, Wicked references, jukebox numbers and audience participation. The cackling Wicked Witch played by Fèyi Wey opens the show, swiftly followed by an introduction of other familiar Oz characters such as The Good Witch played by Grace Kelly Miller, Lion played by Milla Sutton and Scarecrow played by Sara Nelson. Thanks to the fierce pizzazz displayed by Fizz Sinclair playing Tin, the character shined brightly throughout the show and brought the company to life.
For the second act, you are ushered into Emerald City, where dining ticket holders are invited to a three-course meal while the cast members sing and dance around you. The spectacle is uplifting, especially since the cast sings a series of feel-good pop hits. Its cosy food hall setup encourages audience members to make friends with strangers and experience the feast together. The food itself unfortunately was not that inspiring. The execution of the meal was almost school dinner quality and did not complement the standards of the well-thought-out variety of cocktails. Also, with so much expectation from Shay Shay’s other productions, the lack of a clear storyline and very basic choreography left expectations to fall short of a perfectly constructed evening. That said, it will not stop people from leaving with a smile on their faces.
Tickets range from £20-59, depending on if you choose to dine or not. For an affordable London night out, this ticket will be worth going to and will guarantee to create fond memories for audience members.
It runs until January 2023.
Review: Ramsey Baghdadi