REVIEW: The Wiz (LIPA), The Paul McCartney Auditorium, 7th Nov 2013

On Wednesday evening, an audience settled down in The Paul McCartney Auditorium to watch the first performance of a series of four shows; The Wiz. The show was performed by second and third year dance students at Liverpool Instititue of Performing Arts (LIPA). I went along to review the performance for Liverpool Live. I followed the yellow brick road to check it out…

After getting off to a delayed start of about five minutes, the lights dimmed and the stage was occupied by Dorothy and her Auntie Em played by Melissa Lye and Rebecca Whaley respectively.

From the outset, it was clear that the props, lighting, sound and set were of high quality. The opening scene was magnificent, engaging the audience and making them feel like they were actually in Kansas.

Before long, spandex clad dancers wearing various shades of velour hit the stage with their sharp dance moves and vocals accompanied by a funk filled audio. The stage was filled with 70's throwbacks. It made you feel like you'd switched eras and were in a 70's disco parallel universe.

The yellow brick road was cleverly made of people, dressed in yellow afros and matching lycra.

Dorothy was a strong protagonist. Her convincing American accent made her all the more credible and her vocal ability was extremely strong.

The performance offered up a mix of choreography- a contrast of graceful ballet moves, tap dance and contemporary styles. The routines were faultless.Sadly, the Tin Man's performance was a bit wooden and lack lustre. Ironically, his opening words were a request for oil. The performance was not a slick one. Conversely, the Scarecrow and the Lion were endearing and humorous. What the Lion lacked in vocal ability, she compensated with her humour.

The Wiz - played by Tinuke O'Yediran was quite a sedate character and I found her performance less convincing. But Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West was utterly convincing with a great voice, commanding stage presence with the requisite amount of evil.

Overall, a commendable performance, suitable for all the family, but albeit too long. Act One lasted 1hr and I was disengaged after 40 minutes. Things picked up in Act Two as the scenes gained momentum; more suspense and stronger vocal performances. The dancing, music and sets were first class throughout.

It was worthwhile viewing and it was clear that a lot of hard work had gone into the production. Tickets are reasonable at £8.00 or concessions £4.00. Subsequent shows are evening performances on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th November at 7:30 pm. There will be a matinee performance at 2:30 pm on Saturday also.