Disclaimer: We received gifted tickets for the purposes of review
With the girls being fans of Strictly Come Dancing we were excited to go see the Wizard of Oz at The New Theatre as Strictly’s own Katya Jones was featuring as Glinda the Good Witch.
From the moment we sat down we were in awe of the backdrop and the staging. Once the panto started we knew we were in for a treat.
From well known songs the audience could join in with to fabulous glittery costumes, it was a joy throughout.
And what is a panto without a ‘baddie’?? Shane Convery as the Wicked Witch made the show. With some put downs towards the kids such as ‘ugly kids’ and ‘bed wetters’ there were some more unique ones such as Katya not making it to Blackpool in Strictly Come Dancing. This led to one of our favourite moments in the show – a dance off between the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch. It was good to be able to see Katya’s dancing skills in the panto!
Of course there is a lot of audience participation with some of the characters coming into the aisles. Be ready for water guns and encouragement to get up and dance. Bee was being a bit shy and not getting up…but Dorothy played by Leah Pinney spotted her as she was on our side of the audience and came along to encourage her…and she managed to get a high five!
And the ultimate best bit. There is even a real life Toto who made appearances on the stage throughout the show! Bee managed to give him a stroke as we left as they were standing at the doors to say goodbye to everyone.
If you are yet to see a panto this year then we highly recommend The Wizard of Oz. However there isn’t long left to watch the panto. Shows are only running until December 31. You can get tickets and find out more information at www.newtheatre-peterborough.com.
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You can also check out our review of Beauty and The Beast at the Key Theatre.