Dorothy found her way home. And Immersion Theatre found a new fan.
The production of The Wizard of Oz in the grounds of Shrewsbury Castle captivated the whole family and provided some time to enjoy the stunning surroundings.
A full on all-singing-all-dancing production, it told the story of Dorothy and her friends making the audience believe there was a twenty something strong cast, when in fact it was just five people.
A medley - which seemed odd to include Thriller, the Macarena and the Cha Cha Slide during a ‘fight’ scene - had people clapping and singing along, and I am sure more would have been dancing had it not been for the 29 degree heat.
Theatre Severn teamed up with Shrewsbury Castle to put on the show as part of a summer of open air theatre. We got there early and enjoyed a picnic in the grounds, as many others did, and took in the historic castle walls. The setting seemed a little more apt to Shakespeare but you soon got immersed - excuse the pun - in the story.
Fantastic costumes brought the characters to life and made my children think every costume was worn by a different person. The singing and dancing - in the heat! - never missed a beat and the audience were in fits of laughter at the audience participation.
A special mention goes to Scott (a dad in the audience!) who did a great job of taking part and doing his best scary sound!
No one was left out as the scarecrow gave high fives and danced with audience members.
Even a seven-year-old who was grumpy that they ran out of ice cream during the interval (he was with me!) couldn’t help but laugh at the one liners and joke telling in the second half.
It had all the emotion and excitement of a top show - and an added element of adventure thanks to the setting.
