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NORTH EAST BORN THEATRE ICON MICHAEL HARRISON IS THE PRODUCER OF THE WIZARD OF OZ WHICH IS AT SUNDERLAND EMPIRE THIS WEEK 14:28, 09 Aug 2024Updated 14:32, 09 Aug 2024 This article contains

affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more It's already weaved its magic in Newcastle this year and now The Wizard of Oz is wowing

audiences in Sunderland, in a week where everyone in the city could do with the 'pure escapism' on offer from the hit musical, produced by North East theatre aficionado Michael

Harrison. In shocking scenes that appalled many people across Wearside and the North East last Friday, a car was overturned and set on fire in Sunderland city centre by rioters, just metres

away from the Empire's home on High Street West. Determined not to let the mindless actions of thugs ruin all the good things that are going on in the city right now, volunteers rallied

for a huge clean up operation on Saturday. And, having decided to cancel two tribute shows at the weekend due to safety concerns, the Empire was delighted to get back to business on Tuesday

for opening night of The Wizard of Oz, with a cast including Drag Race UK champion The Vivienne as The Wicked Witch of the West. Audiences who went along to catch the first performance

raved about just how good it was, meaning it came as huge disappointment on Wednesday when, due to the 'possibility of more disruption' in Sunderland, the Empire decided to cancel

both the matinee and evening shows that. In a statement given to customers, the much loved theatre vowed that all other scheduled performances for the week would go ahead, meaning it was

curtain up once again on Thursday evening, as many others were blown away by what they saw on stage. *THERE ARE PERFORMANCES OF THE WIZARD OF OZ AT THE SUNDERLAND EMPIRE ON FRIDAY NIGHT,

SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY EVENING. CHECK AVAILABILITY HERE. And, chatting to CHRONICLELIVE ahead of The Wizard of Oz's Sunderland run, Geordie theatre producer Michael, the man

who has an ever growing list of credits to his name, including The Bodyguard, Hello Dolly, Joseph, War Horse and the sensationally revamped Sunset Boulevard, said that the mass appeal of

Wizard of Oz is something that is largely down to the fact that it has heart, a message we can all relate to and the chance to escape from the world for a few hours. "It is pure

escapism. It's a show that is cross generational, with a lovely story at its heart," he explained. "The Wizard of Oz is the great American fairytale. If the movie version was

just a normal film, without the music, I'm not sure it would have captured the world's imagination in the way that it did. It's blessed with a bloody good score. "The

touring production has a lot of projection, which looks fantastic, we have an amazing 10 piece orchestra and we are so lucky, that at the heart of it, we have The Vivienne." "The

calibre of the touring cast as a whole is absolutely exceptional," added Michael, who has just brought back Starlight Express to London to great acclaim, in a new home of Wembley's

Troubadour Theatre. Article continues below And next on the agenda for Michael when it comes to a touring musical is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which will hit the Empire

stage in 2005 and bring a return to the show for former Joseph, Joe McElderry, in a new role of the Pharoah. JOIN OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITIES ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to

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