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Did you see The Secret Seven at StoryhouseLive last Christmas? We did and we loved it.  This year you can join Dorothy, Toto and her friends for The Wizard of Oz a major new stage production of the classic MGM musical motion picture, featuring all the favourite songs, including Somewhere Over The Rainbow and We’re Off To See The Wizard..

NB: We were guests of the Storyhouse but all views and opinions are my own.

Tickets are on sale from £15 – book early for the best seats at the best prices as many of the Christmas shows are sold out! The Wizard of Oz is on at the Storyhouse from 7 December 2018 – 6 January 2019.

After the success of The Secret Seven last Christmas and Swallows and Amazons over the Summer at the Storyhouse, The Wizard of Oz had a lot to live up to. When we first arrived into the theatre the girls were a little disappointed that the stage was in a normal place for a theatre. The earlier productions we have seen at the Storyhouse have all been in the round and they have loved the feel of those productions. This setting felt more normal than the others we have seen, but they fit more people in this way and given the popularity of the Christmas productions this makes a lot of sense and as the lights went down I was hooked.

I loved the way The Wizard of Oz started with the MGM lion and the lights in the same way as the iconic film does and even the music they started to play made me tingle.  The film reminds me of childhood and always wanting those sparkly red slippers.

Consuela Rolle as Dorothy opens the show and from that moment on she is absolutely superb.  Full of enthusiasm, energy and style. She steals the stage from the other very credible actors until that is we are introduced to the munchkins from Chester‘s House of Dance. When one of my twins realised they were local dancers she was genuinely in awe and has started a campaign to attend the same dance school so she can be on stage next year!

The stage show starts with a ‘real life’ scene of Dorothy in Kansas, flighting with her friends and family before she disappears off to Oz in the twister. Initially I thought this was a little long winded but I was really pleased to realise at the end of the show that the girls had understood the message that was being portrayed and had worked out who the dream/Oz characters were and why. It hadn’t been lost on them like I’d presumed it might be.

Running time of the show is approximately two hours and 30 minutes, including an interval. My three got a little twitchy in the first half but loved the pace of  the second half.

The strong cast does it all – singing, dancing, acting parts, and shifting sets and the show is fantastically enjoyable. Audience participation is not at panto level but when the actors take to the stalls when they are lost in the poppy fields the audience goes wild.

A clear favourite with the audience is of course Toto the dog, a genuine canine throughout the Oz scenes and cute as a button.

It’s a fabulous family show – do try and get tickets of you can!

Please note – the show will begin promptly at the advertised start time. Latecomers may not be admitted until the interval.

Some details about the Storyhouse and how to get there below!

Visiting Storyhouse

The entrance to Storyhouse is on Hunter Street (CH1 2AR).
The building is open from 8am Monday – Saturday and 9.30am on Sundays, so feel free to arrive at any time! We suggest arriving no later than 30 minutes before the performance start time.

The nearest car parks to Storyhouse are:

Market Car Park (CH1 2HH)
Located at the back of the Town Hall
8 bays for disabled patrons.
Two minute walk to Storyhouse.
Click for more info ( https://storyhouselive.com/1CEX-60NC5-UINZK0-3EC0YI-0/c.aspx )

Delamere Street Car Park (CH22AY)
Delamere Street
12 bays for disabled patrons.
Six minute walk to Storyhouse.
Click for more info ( https://storyhouselive.com/1CEX-60NC5-UINZK0-3EC0YI-0/c.aspx )