Every year, The Watermill offers up an alternative to pantomime for its family audiences. It always showcases a talented team of actor musicians, and a twist on a well-known tale.

This year’s production of The Wizard of Oz, directed by Georgie Staight, isn’t so much a twist, as a total reconstruction. Although the bones of Frank L Baum’s famous story are still evident, the retelling has altered some elements beyond recognition.

Marietta Kirkbrides adaptation sees Dot (Annabel Marlow) told off by Aunty Em (Angela Caesar) for living in a dreamworld, and is reminded to tidy her room and walk the dog. The inevitable bad weather sweeps Dot and Toto into a somewhat space age Oz, where they are met by three munchkins, portrayed by Dan Southwell’s beautiful puppets. Dot then meets Glenda (Signe Larsson) who sets her off on the yellow route to find The Wizard of Oz, who will be able to find Toto and send Dot home.

As in the original, Dot meets some colourful characters - Lionel the Lion (James Gulliford), Scarrow the brainless Scarecrow (Sally Cheng), and a Geordie Tinman (Chris Coxon), and the unlikely team start their pilgrimage.

Despite the slightly clumsy adaptation, there are some incredibly strong performances, notably Angela Caesar who brings a delightfully evil malice to Westly, and gives a very comical portrayal of The Wizard. As is the norm at The Watermill, the cast all also play instruments, and Nick Barstow, who composed the music for the piece, has created a real earworm in “follow the yellow route”.

The costume design by Sophia Pardon gives nods to the classic Ozian characters; Dot wears a checked shirt over short dungarees, and the famous red shoes are Doc Martin boots. These little touches add a hint of familiarity to a world that bears little resemblance to the much loved 1939 classic film. Ali Hunter’s lighting lends itself well to the slightly futuristic Oz in which Dot finds herself, with plenty of neon tubes, emerald tones and some well timed blackouts to build suspense.

While definitely an interesting take on The Wizard of Oz, this production feels a little dark for a festive family offering, and the morals of the story are driven home hard in the closing scene. However, all of these lessons are still as relevant in today’s society as they were when Baum wrote them into The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, and Kirkbride’s new slant on the work may be more accessible to audiences heading down the Yellow Brick Road for the first time.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Sarah Brown

The Wizard of Oz plays at The Watermill Theatre until 31 December, with further information here.