The Orchard Theater Summer Youth Project 2018: the Wizard of Oz

Every year the Orchard Theatre in Dartford puts on a Summer Youth Production and this year Vlad and I were lucky enough to have been invited to attend the opening night of The Wizard of Oz which was last night! Open to all young people between 9 and 19 years old the Summer Youth Project offers opportunities for young performers to perform in a full-on production both on and behind the stage.

This year an amazing 130 strong cast made up of children of all age groups have come together learn, rehearse and perform the musical working alongside the highly skilled professional creative team at The Orchard make new friends and have lots of fun learning, rehearsing and performing a musical complete with a live band.

The audience follows the well-loved story of Dorothy who finds herself somewhere over the rainbow in the magical land of Oz with her loyal dog Toto (yes, a real dog was part of the cast!) facing the Wicked Witch of the West in her quest to return to Kansas. Of course, along the way she meets many new friends among them a cowardly lion, a heartless tin man and a brainless scarecrow.

The young actors in main and secondary roles were fantastic and very professional despite a couple of technical glitches and canine cavorting! Holly Radford made the perfect Dorothy and effortlessly took on Somewhere Over the Rainbow, one of the most iconic songs in musical theatre and you can’t help but love the Cowardly Lion with his funny accent and sensational singing.

I was really impressed with the production of the show;  the scenery and lighting were used to help keep the audience engaged and following the story. I particularly liked the use of the colourful LEDs in the audience which created an extra level of entertainment.

The live band was amazing; the music and songs were well rehearsed and performed by the clearly talented musicians which really brought the show to life. There are lots of big numbers in The Wizard of Oz that see the large cast dancing and singing on stage as well as amongst the crowd which really brings energy and excitement into the performance.

There are lots of funny moments in this show which makes it perfect for a family night out. However, I must say that despite not being related to anyone in the cast Vlad and I had a really great night and came away thoroughly entertained so don’t think you have to know someone in the performance to enjoy the show!

If you have a spare evening I recommend popping along to the Orchard in Dartford and enjoying an evening of bright colours, loud laughs and stirring songs at the same time supporting the local young acting community. If you want to book tickets, please see the information below:

Dates

Time

7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Phone

01322 220000

Web

https://orchardtheatre.co.uk/Online/tickets-wizard-of-oz-dartford-2018