The Wizard of Oz to send theatre fans down yellow brick road

Theatre audiences in Shrewsbury will be off to the Land of Oz tonight as a major new production takes to the stage.

The Wizard of Oz will be on at Theatre Severn tonight, and will feature a local cast of more than 60 performers, including 30 children aged between seven and 13 years old.

Final auditions have been taking place ahead of the curtain going up on the production for the first time this evening.

The show, which is produced by Get Your Wigle On, will be running at the theatre until Saturday and will feature a lice orchestra.

It will also be the first amateur production staged at the Theatre Severn to make use of the venue’s flying facilities.

A spokesman for the company said: “The Wizard of Oz features a twister scene, flying monkeys, a good witch who travels by bubble, and an evil witch who flies on her broomstick and therefore we feel flying is a vital ingredient to do the production justice and bring the magic into the musical.”

The Get Your Wigle On production company has been actively running since 2009 and was founded by Ross Wigley. It will also be staging Beauty and the Beast at the theatre in November.

Tickets for the Wizard of Oz are priced between £10 and £15.

For more information, call the Theatre Severn box office on (01743) 281281.