Oz
Oz was co-commissioned by Pins & Needles and Tobacco Factory Theatres for the main house Christmas production at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol in 2022.
After a violent storm, a brave young girl finds herself lost in a world that bears no relation to her own. A magic land of potent poppy fields, ferocious flying monkeys and rogue rulers.
Oz stayed true to the original in many ways, but with some differences - Kansas was instead a refugee boat, Toto was Dorothy's brother and we brought back some wonderful characters from the book which didn't make it to the film.
The script is sharp and funny, and zips along, ably aided by retro video game tropes, funny repeated song refrains such as ‘this way, that way’ as the troop progress towards the Emerald City, and a clever score that keeps the exposition to a minimum – satisfyingly it manages to be lots of ‘show’, and not too much ‘tell’.
OZ - Broadwayworld Review - *****
“Pins and Needles Productions Oz is the right show, in the right place at the right time. Something for all the family. To quote the Great Witch of the North, it is truly "fablus".”