THEATRE: WIZARD OF OZ
Forget following the yellow brick road. In this production, Dorothy’s going to pave it herself and pick the destination. “We activated Dorothy and made her a lot less passive,” says Luke Clayson (who plays the Scarecrow). So less damsel in distress, more dame on a mission. The Windmill team, “Took what is a classic story … and made it more accessible to the youth of today.” They believed some ideas got lost in translation, like the repeated strain of ‘there’s no place like home’. (In an age of continent-bridging communities stationed on the cyber-highway, where is home these days, anyway?) A lame lion and some cross-dressing have also been billed – but then, that’s not too far off the original. Clayson says it was liberating to tackle such an enduring and much-loved childhood icon, who in this context is, “100% traditional, but totally 2009, not 1939.” The Scarecrow sheds his straw and instead becomes a (still brainless) mannequin – a fitting remould amongst the vacuous male models and rock stars that dot popular culture. For those who get a misty glaze when you think of the Garland-MGM-era, don’t feel squeamish. This is still true to the heart of the story and the response, according to Clayson, has been phenomenal from both munchkin and Mayor-sized humans.
Oct 23-Nov 1, Sydney Theatre Company, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $30-35 or $110 for family, 9250 1777 or sydneytheatre.com.au
