The Wiz

Being a period piece itself, Flymonkey's production of 1970s musical The Wiz is an apt choice to close the Empire before it undergoes much-needed refurbishment.

Way to go, too, because it's a slippery, seriously funky entertainment that sparkles like Dorothy's silver slippers and gleams like the lights round the Emerald City.

Although some of the acting is a bit slack in places, The Wiz is all about Charlie Smalls' disco songs, the superfly costumes and the gorgeous dancing. Even so, some of the protagonists are excellent. MTV star Kat's loose-limbed scarecrow, Edward Baruwa's Tin Man dude and Nigel Roche's sweet, effete Lion steal the show in their search for brains, heart and courage while Jia Frances's Dorothy grew in stature the further she progressed down that Yellow Brick Road.

Smalls' distillation of Seventies groove has survived remarkably well. The company band recreated the appropriate chukka guitars, horny horns and fat slap rhythms just as Juliet Vibert's dancing boys and girls carried off the chic moves associated with Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament.

Another good thing about this Wiz is an avoidance of kitsch. Props are minimal, a spacehopper here, a bordello chair there. There's no fat on this lean piece, it rattles along much faster than the movie version which stars Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

At this distance, the Afro-American street jive and psychedelic references are not so much tame as cute, meaning fun for children of all ages. This Wiz is like, Kool and the Gang.

The Wiz