The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical - the panto returns
160DEC 2024 - Photos by Dahlia Katz

Of course that villain Ross Petty was trying to pull one over on us. Peter's Final Flight was not the end of the beloved tradition of pantos in Toronto. He was just handing it off to another Toronto institution, Canadian Stage. And so we have The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical with a lot of familiar faces gracing the stage and working behind the scenes. There is even a little badge added to the promo material and program boasting "The Ross Petty Panto is back." Yes and no. Part of the joy of the 25 years of pantos, and I got to enjoy many of them, was the sheer shamelessness. Though there was high-minded talk of a panto is a gateway to a lifetime of theatre going (which actually is true, the toddler we took to their first panto is now a sophisticated adult with discerning appreciation for both serious theatrical endeavours and the down and dirty frolic that is a panto), but the actual reason for existence is simply to entertain outrageously. And employ some of the city's finest musical theatre artists over the holiday season. 

The only thing missing in this edition is some of that shamelessness. The hilarious commercials for the sponsors are gone—Canadian Stage is a grande dame madam not a street corner hustler—and the satirical jabs and political humour is slightly muted. Only our brave Plumbum continues to spout lines that garner gasps of does she dare to say that? Yes, Dan Chameroy (Something Rotten!, The Diviners, Peter's Final Flight, A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid) does. Though intriguingly Plumbum has evolved. Instead of an innocent seeking love and/or sexual attention, Plumbum seems to now have considerable experience tucked (pun intended) under her sequins. The ribaldry—"If you have to ask, you don't understand"—is very welcome, and Plumbum remains a comic creation for the ages as she bumbles from disaster to triumph, even transforming an entrance from a dumpster into an extended, glamorous klutzy, bit of slapstick. Chameroy/Plumbum tucks (pun intended) the entire production under her frock and dances away with it.

The pantos have used the L Frank Baum/MGM sacred text as a jumping off point before, but this time the plot hews relatively closely. Initially. Writer Matt Murray (Peter's Final Flight, Lil' Red Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan in Wonderland) veers off in order to concoct a plot that pokes fun at Torontonian foibles, corporate greed, and crock pots, in a thinly veiled political allegory. Plumbum gets a lot of laughs from tasting hipster artisanal soup. The wicked witch and main villain, Nastina, is incarnated delightfully by Vanessa Sears (Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Queen Goneril, King Lear, Is God Is, Alice in Wonderland, Caroline, Or Change, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz) who relishes the chance to be evil. Despite a rather sedate opening night theatre industry-heavy audience, she elicited a resounding chorus of boos and hisses. And managed to escalate the process so that by the curtain call she received an outpouring of invective in praise of her magnificent malignance. All while navigating a whiplash character arc, singing like a dream, dripping disdain on all and sundry, and remaining poised and regal while clad in more sequins than Liberace in his prime.

And The Wizard of Oz is flashy. There was an audible gasp when the curtain opened on the detailed and witty projections by Cameron Fraser. The imagery only got better with a Luminato country and western dig, and a breathtaking visualization of "The Chicken Dance." We begin at an eggplant farm (yes, Plumbum has double entendres) somewhere near Guelph. The tornado hits and we wind up in Toronto, only the 'n' in the sign has been knocked over by the wind and we are now in Torozto. The Toronto-centric gags and spoofs come thick and fast, culminating in a cameo by a beloved city icon which I won't spoil. The yellow brick road leads to an emerald CN Tower and, many flights of stairs up, the Wizard with spoils of brains, heart, courage and a way home. But plot is immaterial, we are there for the song and dance, Plumbum's antics, and to have our hearts warmed by venting our anger at Nastina over where the city, the world, went wrong. 

As is tradition, the musical numbers are hit pop tunes reworked and shoehorned into the plot. Eddie Glen (Spamalot, Lil' Red Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, The Wizard of Oz) as the Scarecrow strikes gold with a corny line-dancing version of Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" with Orville Peckesque dancers,   but Jonathan Cullen (Rock of Ages, Forever Plaid) as the Tin Man is inexplicably not given a number. We briefly get to hear the magnificent pipes of Saphire Demitro (Rock of Ages, Little Shop of Horrors, Jesus Christ Superstar, American Idiot, Obeah Opera, Into the Woods, Evil Dead the Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher) as the Cowardly Lion, but it is only in the full cast numbers that The Wizard of Oz takes flight. Julia Pulo is a plucky Dorothy but has been saddled with songs that work her pop voice instead of a theatrical one. When you're wearing Judy Garland's shoes, emulating Billie Ellish is a curious choice. The funniest gag in the entire show is when Dorothy begins to sing and her voice, saturated with effects and auto-tune, has Plumbum looking around to see where the sound is actually coming from. And unfortunately there is no conceivable way to generate excitement with pop songs that were written as wispy.

The ensemble—Jordan Bell, Andrew Broderick (Choir Boy, Love Train), Sierra Holder and Kirstyn Russelle—work hard to generate excitement and pizzazz but for some reason the stage feels sparse. Too many of the numbers are stand and deliver without the choreography being integrated so that the action flows. Which is not to imply that, when the second act kicks in and the whole cast shake their groove thing that lift off is not achieved. Director Ted Dykstra (A Case for the Existence of God, Dion, Rumours, The Father, Hand to God) keeps the action moving and it is impossible not to be charmed and swept along. Those of us with the nostalgic weight of previous pantos on our minds may be critical, but the magic is fresh for the youngsters and that is who the bright colours and pop refrains are for. The trio of rugrats in the seats in front of us, gasped in wonder, clapped with delight, and booed lustily once they figured out it was encouraged. Except for the smallest who preferred to vie for attention and would have danced in the aisles if the usher, who was a special effect of their own, had allowed it. 

The only question that nagged at me was the "Toto-ly" reference in the title. Poor Toto does not get a chance to shine, they spend most of the show stashed in a backpack. This Toto is a stuffed toy of metaphorical and plot importance that resembles an Ewok. Which is another spoiler to be avoided. And fortunately, at the very last second, Nastina gets off an epic one-liner that is not only, in the best panto tradition, utterly shameless, but also is a sweet sordid salute to Ross Petty's service over the past quarter century and, having signed on as "Executive Producer Emeritus," well into the future.