“The Wonderful Winter of Oz” at The Pasadena Civic (Photo – Philicia Endelman Photography).
What a fun evening! I was totally unfamiliar with the British Christmas/winter “Panto” tradition, producing a musical comedy based on a fairy tale or children’s story.
By Carol Edger Germain
Although the word comes from “pantomime,” a British style panto is about as unrelated to silent white-faced clowns with pretend props as you can get. The children’s story (in this case “The Wizard of Oz”) is mashed up with music, comedy, dancing, contemporary entertainment and news references, and current or not-so-current pop music [we got Brooks and Dunn, the Stones, Culture Club, Imagine Dragons, Journey, Toto (of course), Martha and the Vandellas, etc.].
Everything is a bit twisted (although there was no “twister” that whisked Dorothy to Oz, it was a freak Kansas blizzard in this version of the adventure, some of which fell on the audience). The corny jokes, clever “adult” references, and lots of direct interaction with children in the audience are part of the British vaudeville style in this show and it was nonstop fun, with everyone from 2 to 92 joining in to cheer Dorothy and her friends and boo the Wicked Witch of the West, although she was hard to boo, as she was one of the most talented performers, with her drama, singing, and violin playing commanding the stage each time she appeared. To be honest, it was hard to pick a standout, as there was a huge amount of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, and comedic talent on the stage; the show never lagged and there were no weak characters. Another favorite character was the cowardly lion, a Latino lion straight from an 80’s hair band (hmmmm….I guess you had to be there…..and you should be, it is fun, fun, fun!). Near the end I was wondering where Kermit the Frog was – but of course! – he’s the voice of the Wizard, and he made his appearance at the appropriate time.
The Wonderful Winter of Oz at The Pasadena Civic (Photo – Philicia Endelman Photography).
It’s a short run, only through the 30th, so if you have some free time during the holidays, your family won’t be disappointed spending a couple of hours enjoying this unique production, especially if you are entertaining guests with a wide age range.
“Nonstop Fun” – #CarolEdgerGermain, @ColoradoBlvdNet. Catch @LythgoePanto‘s #WinterOfOz #Panto LIVE thru 12/30, only @PasadenaCivic (@VisitPasadena)! coloradoboulevard.net/review-the-won… #LAThtr #LosAngeles #Theatre #Holiday #Arts #Comedy #Festive #Yule #Xmas #Family #Fun #Music #Dance #LA