Who could resist an invitation to take a journey down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, Toto and friends, avoid the Wicked Witch, call on the help of Glynda and Oz himself, to find our way back to Kansas?

So, Sunday night, we popped along for a fantastic evening of fun. Sing-along Wizard of Oz is the latest offering in the ‘Sing-a-longa’ series. Famed already for it’s treatment of The Sound of Music, this is a year-round panto for boys and girls of all ages (and a fair sprinkling of Friends of Dorothy too).

And…oh, my…how people got stuck into the spirit of it. Dressed up to the nines, there were wicked witches and good witches, lions galore, tin men, scarecrows, several yellow-brick roads, and someone even came wrapped in the twister game mat (it’s a twister, it’s a twister!). As is usual at the merest sniff of fancy dress, there were an alarming proportion of men in drag, although pink fairy costume with hairy legs is not necessarily a good look.

Armed with a bag of performance-enhancing goodies (erm…not that kind!) and with the words to the songs up on screen, the audience are invited to not only sing along to the songs, but also react and heckle as much as possible.

Our host for the evening was The Wizard of Orange (couldn’t quite get it myself), who put us through our paces to begin with, giving us the cues to react, and what to do with the strange contents of our ‘party’ bags. A glowing wand to brandish at the right moment (Somewhere Over the Rainbow was a light-show in its own right) was the first thing to be waved enthusiastically around. There were bubbles to blow to summon Glynda (the Good Witch of the North, doncha know) and various other bits and pieces. Prizes were dished out to the best costumes, and then the film began.

With the instructions fresh in our minds, the film started, and perhaps a little keenly, the audience were already shouting “put ‘em up…put ‘em up” at the sight of the Metro-Goldwyn lion-roar.

If you’re not familiar with the Wizard of Oz, then I’ll not go into the intricate storyline (girl bumps her head and has a mad dream….there, I’ve ruined the ending for you). However, suffice to say that it is the campest movie of all time, and several of the references were not lost on the audience. Filthy sniggers all round as the Scarecrow informs Dorothy that “some people go both ways”, and complaining how “uncomfortable it is with a pole up my back”. Mind you, having said that, later on Dorothy asks the Tin Man where he would “like to be oiled first” (more sniggers from more people).

The experience was enormous fun, although perhaps a little on the long side (an interval might have been good, with perhaps the costume competition in the middle of the show…just to break things up a bit). However, that said, I would thoroughly recommend it – after ruby slippers were tapped three times, the audience left with smiles all round. Maybe it was just me, but walking past the lit up Pavilion I couldn’t help thinking that if it was lit up green it really could be the Emerald City. Anyway, in such a good mood, I agreed that there was, indeed, “no place like home”.

Sing-a-long Wizard of Oz is touring the UK, and the other Sing-a-longa shows are performing in London and across the country. Check out www.singalonga.com for more information….and that goes for your little dawg too!

The Wizard Of Oz And All Related Characters And Elements Are Trademarks Of © Turner Entertainment Co. Judy Garland As Dorothy From The Wizard Of Oz - Tm & © Warner Bros.(s02)