Village panto offering oddness and wizardry

Felton and Thirston Pantomime Society has added a local touch to its latest production, The Wizard of Odd, to be performed at Felton Village Hall next month.

As its name suggests, it’s based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum, turned into a film starring Judy Garland in 1939, but aims to be even odder than the original.

Featuring songs and dancing, as well as a host of local connections, it tells the story of Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto. They find themselves at Felton Fair, then everything goes wrong. After an argument and a tornado, Dorothy ends up in the Land of Odd, where a whole host of minions are on hand to offer help.

On her way to the Ruby City to find the Wizard of Odd, Dorothy encounters the Dame of the North and the Wicked Witches of the East and West.

She recruits help from Worzel Gummidge, who has lost his head; Alcan Man, who has lost his heart; and a Shrek-like ogre, who has lost his courage, but is accompanied by a donkey.

Following satnav directions, they all finally arrive at the Ruby City.

Dorothy then finds she has been tricked by those she met along the way.

After a tussle between the two wicked witches, all is resolved and the Wiz, looking remarkably like the late Elvis Presley, sorts everything out.

In the end, with the assistance of a time traveller resembling Doctor Who, the Wiz returns Dorothy and Toto to Felton Fair, where the chaos began.

It runs from Thursday, February 4 ,to Sunday, February 6.

Performances take place at 7.30pm each evening, with a 2pm matinee on the Saturday.

Tickets are £6, £3 for children under 11 and £15 for a family of four.

Tickets can be bought at Hillrise Stores, Gallery45, Hair Naturelle. They are also available from Grace Aynsley by calling 01670 787283 or emailing [email protected]