IT is unsurprising The Wizard of Oz has attracted packed houses at the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas.
The tale of Dorothy who finds herself in the colourful world of Oz - and befriends the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion during her adventures - is one that has enchanted generations.
There is an Andrew Lloyd Webber production of the musical running in the West End at the moment and it follows the popularity of the Over The Rainbow BBC TV show which aimed to find someone to play the role of Dorothy in that very production.
But the other reason for the packed houses at the Gaiety is simply the fact that Taylorian Productions and director John Cumberlidge have done a stunning job in bringing this family favourite to life.
There is no doubt it must be a complex musical to stage yet all the cast and those behind the scenes have made it run like clockwork.
The story begins as we see Dorothy (Rebecca Lawrence) in her Kansas home, having trouble with the nasty Miss Gulch (Alexander Beck) who wants to take her dog Toto (played by the very cute dog Kerry) to be destroyed.
Dorothy decides to run away but as she decides to return home a tornado comes and transports her to the wonderful world of Oz.
She then discovers her house has landed on - and killed - the Wicked Witch of the East and she meets Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Mandy Griffin).
We are then introduced to the Munchkins who are played by some very talented youngsters indeed. In fact the future of Manx Theatre is in excellent hands if their performances are anything to go by.
Dorothy makes an enemy of the nasty Wicked Witch of the West (also played by Alexander Beck).
The only way for her to get back home to Kansas is to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz (Simon Fletcher).
On her way she encounters the Scarecrow (Matt James), Tin Man (David Lyons) and the Lion (Allen Widdup) who decide to accompany Dorothy on her trip to see the Wizard.
The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Man a heart and the Lion courage.
The lighting, sound, costumes and staging as a whole are absolutely first rate.
The casting is brilliant too - while the production contains some very familiar faces on the Manx theatrical scene many of them are completely unrecognisable thanks to their colourful costumes.
It is difficult to pick out any stand out performances because all the cast do a fantastic job.
Alexander Beck gave such a fine performance as the Wicked Witch of the West that he was booed!
Rebecca Lawrence was great as Dorothy and the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow were all superb - as were their costumes.
Credit must also go to the musicians, the huge supporting cast, those involved with lighting and sound and the massive effort that must have gone on behind the scenes to make this happen.
Taylorian and other Isle of Man based organisations really know how to put on a show. It is not surprising there are a number of people from the Island who have been a hit on the stage professionally in the UK when you see the quality of the productions that are produced here.
Tickets have sold very well - try and get to see the show if you can.
All photos by Steve Woodley
The Wizard of Oz runs at the Gaiety Theatre until Saturday, August 20. For ticket availability ring 600555 or call in at the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal, Douglas. This was a review of last night's (Monday) performance.
