Review | Hong Kong Ballet’s The Wizard of Oz has great dancing and effects but falls short on story

Septime Webre’s production has bold designs, spectacular effects and high-energy dancing, but the music is a little monotonous

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Wang Qinxing as the Wicked Witch of the West in a scene from Hong Kong Ballet’s The Wizard of Oz, a production by Septime Webre, Hong Kong Ballet’s artistic director. Photo: Tony Luk

Published: 6:15pm, 2 Sep 2024

Hong Kong Ballet launched its 2024/25 season with The Wizard of Oz, choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Septime Webre.

A family-oriented extravaganza, it has all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect from Webre – a big, bold show with spectacular designs and theatrical effects, a huge cast (albeit the same dancers in different roles), and lots and lots of dancing.

While from a ballet perspective the production has flaws, it hits its target as family entertainment and received a warm reception from a packed house consisting largely of parents and children at the Saturday matinee.

Written in 1900, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the first in a series of books about the magical land of Oz. If the books – quintessentially American – are little known outside the United States, the 1939 film adaptation starring Judy Garland brought Baum’s fantasy international fame.

Zoe Loo as Dorothy (left), Natalie Lu with a puppet of Toto the dog, and Kai Kanzaki as the Cowardly Lion (right) in Hong Kong Ballet’s The Wizard of Oz, by Septime Webre. Photo: Conrad Dy-Liacco

Ninety-five years after its premiere, it continues to make lists of all-time great films and has given rise to numerous spin-offs in the cinema and on stage.