Artistic director of Hong Kong Ballet on ‘over the top’ characters in his The Wizard of Oz
- Septime Webre’s obsession with The Wizard of Oz goes back to his childhood. He tells the Post about his production for Hong Kong Ballet
The tale of Dorothy and her friends in The Wizard of Oz occupies a special place in Septime Webre’s childhood memories.
When he was 12, he and his siblings developed an extravagant puppet theatre show about Dorothy’s adventure with the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and their encounter with the Wicked Witch of the West.
They took the show on the road, performing in nursing homes, schools and churches across South Texas, where the family were living.
The choreographer, whose ballet version of The Wizard of Oz will be performed in Hong Kong for the first time, starting from August 30, says he read and reread the original book by L. Frank Baum, was introduced to Victor Fleming’s 1939 film version at a young age, and later became “obsessed” with the 1978 adaptation The Wiz, starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.
I want audiences to fall in love with ballet all over again
The version of the Wizard of Oz that will be performed by Hong Kong Ballet, where Webre has been artistic director since 2017, is based on his 2018 version which, quite aptly, premiered in Dorothy’s home state, Kansas.
