The wizard of Oz

Last Friday Mike and I took Rachel and a friend of hers into London's West End to see The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium.  We went during Kids Week; a fabulous initiative where for two weeks a child goes free for every adult ticket purchased (on certain days for certain shows).

Our seats were as far high up as it was possible to go, right up in the Gods.  I worried whether we would be able to really appreciate the show from that height, but my worries were quickly dispersed.

The stage itself is mesmerisingly clever; there's a spiral which raises and falls at different points in the show, changing scenes and atmosphere.  If you love engineering or architecture this makes the show a must-see in itself.

Then there's the acting.  Dorothy is fabulously played by Danielle, the winner of BBCs "over the rainbow", showing exactly why she deserved the role.  The great Oz is played by the great Michael Crawford, greatly.  The lion is fantastically cowardly, the tin man certainly hollow and the scarecrow; well he's the star of the acting for me, physically in his movement especially.

The music, well Andrew Lloyd Webber can do no wrong, it's brilliant.

But the absolute run away star of the whole show is the dog who plays Toto. To see a dog with such skills is wonderful, but to also witness the enjoyment and enthusiasm is captivating.

That's the word that I'd use to sum up the Wizard of Oz.  Captivating.  Two adults loving it.  Two girls entranced.  We all left captivated.