REVIEW: Canadian Stage revives the Ross Petty panto with pop songs, puns, and a pinch of Ozdust

We’re going through a cultural Ozpocalypse. Versions of The Wizard of Oz abound, with the film of the musical smash Wicked as inescapable as the tornado that brings Dorothy to Munchkinland. 

Mirroring Dorothy’s journey, my visit the Ross Petty panto at the Winter Garden Theatre was my first time in an unfamiliar land; a panto newbie, I wanted to see how Canadian Stage’s revival of the tradition, this year a take on the Oz story, used the form’s booable villains, pop music covers, and outsized drag performances to bolster the classic. This Yellow Brick Road took me to a gentle, affectionate parody; not a particularly cohesive reimagining of the well-worn tale, it’s one that feels most successful as a warm-hearted love letter to the city of Toronto — or, I should say, Torozto. 

Following 25 years of zany, family-oriented shows, Petty formally retired in 2022; now, he’s back as executive producer emeritus, but it’s unclear how much creative input he’s had in this production from playwright Matt Murray (who penned a different Oz-based Petty panto back in 2018) and director Ted Dykstra. Paper-thin in plot and characterization, but lifted by a plethora of puns and a plucky young heroine, the emerald-hued Ozstravaganza is silly fun for kids, with enough innuendo to keep adults chuckling.

In this version, Dorothy (a honey-voiced Julia Pulo) is a fresh-faced high school graduate who returns to her family’s eggplant farm in Guelph feeling lost. Unsure whether she wants to stick around with her farming friends or find her own way, she seeks advice from her adoptive guardian Plumbum (Dan Chameroy, in a sparkling purple dress by Ming Wong to match those entendre-laden eggplants).

She’s just been re-gifted her long-lost stuffed toy Toto as a graduation present when that terrifying tornado carries her and Plumbum off to Torozto. After getting her bearings and committing accidental witch-slaughter, she must defend the city from the evil Nastina (Vanessa Sears, malevolently munching the scenery), who’s looking to steal the “CN Power” with the help of some magic ruby Blundstones.

Of course, we also meet the Scarecrow (Eddie Glen), Tin Man (Jonathan Cullen), and Cowardly Lion (Saphire Demitro, with a roar of a belt), former employees of or donors to Nastina’s failed political campaign, whose foibles stem from her corrupting influence. The political parable ties the disparate characters together. However, genuinely amusing jabs at contemporary politicians aside, the panto doesn’t aim for Wicked-style commentary about our susceptibility to propaganda and fear, as it largely ignores the titular man behind the curtain. More successful are themes of found family and identity, which will probably resonate better with the young audience anyway.

Under Dykstra’s direction, the first act, in which the party unites, feels more assured and cohesive than the second with its faster plot but slower pace, especially in a long scene of audience participation that’s more adorable than relevant. The second act’s victories would feel more earned if they more overtly highlighted the characters pushing past their flaws to succeed instead of relying on the element of chance. Sears’ cackling, villainous interludes buoy the pace, as she struts commandingly, encouraging our lusty booing and persuading kids to snitch on our heroes. 

But there’s plenty to see while we wait for the wizard. Projection designer Cameron Fraser presents farmhouse and downtown core backdrops with luridly saturated colours and plentiful painful puns, such as billboards advertising “Steam Whozzle” and “Zo Frills.” Set designer Michael Gianfrancesco includes entertaining physical details such as the familiar Torozto sign and Nastina’s chair, a giant red hand from which she schemes to catch the infiltrators red-handed. Wong’s costumes are glittery eye candy, from Nastina’s sequin-heavy power pantsuit to the Tin Man’s shiny exterior.

Most of the cast sport equally shiny, beaming faces full of eager energy. More reserved, Chameroy’s slightly understated playing of his larger-than-life drag character — other than in the protracted poop jokes — also works well, trusting the audience will get each tossed-off innuendo without it screeching like a flying monkey. 

The show’s slightly tweaked covers of pop hits effectively add dimension to our leading lady, telling a story of being lost then found that starts with her plaintive take on the Barbie movie’s “What Was I Made For?” and arrives at a moving version of Phil Collins’ “Take Me Home.”  Other choices feel mystifying in comparison, like a scarecrow line dance to Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” that’s otherwise a highlight of Jennifer Mote’s sprightly ensemble choreography, or Plumbum’s more scattered movements in an attempt to give Dorothy courage via Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

Overall, much of the fun in The Wizard of Oz comes from its sendup of Toronto neighbourhoods, particularly rich Forest Hill and the trendy “Ozzington” strip. Making a case for the panto’s return, the production is full of local references and charm, and perhaps even some surprise guests to fill audiences with hometown pride. If you’ve been missing this tradition in its year away, this version will probably go down like a warm mug of hot chocolate on a cold day, waiting and ready for your oohs… and Oz.

The Wizard of Oz runs at the Winter Garden Theatre until January 5, 2025. Tickets are available here.

Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.

WRITTEN BY

Ilana Lucas

Ilana Lucas is a professor of English in Centennial College’s School of Advancement. She is the President of the Canadian Theatre Critics Association. She holds a BA in English and Theatre from Princeton University, an MFA in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia University, and serves as Princeton’s Alumni Schools Committee Chair for Western Ontario. She has written for Brit+Co, Mooney on Theatre, and BroadwayWorld Toronto. Her most recent play, Let’s Talk, won the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival’s 24-Hour Playwriting Contest. She has a deep and abiding love of musical theatre, and considers her year working for the estate of Tony winners Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green one of her most treasured memories.

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