The World’s Biggest Productions has now responded to complaints and requests for refunds to their show.
A photo taken by someone who attended the Wizard of Oz show (Image: Hull Live)
The team behind a much-derided family show in Leeds have hit out against ‘personal attacks’ and ‘exaggerated articles’ as they answer their critics.
In December, a substantial number of parents branded Wicked Wizard of Oz: A Cirque Spectacular as ‘inappropriate’ as well as raising concerns about the quality of the show. The festivities came from The World’s Biggest Productions – it opened at Leeds First Direct Bank Arena on Monday, December 29 with a second performance coming on Tuesday, December 30. There was a number of stops on the country-wide tour.
On the Leeds First Direct Bank Arena website, the show is described as something ‘not to be missed’. The description stated: “Enter the emerald circus where cirque meets panto, where imagination takes flight and witness the high-flying arena spectacular, Wicked Wizard of Oz – A Cirque Spectacular is not to be missed.”
But families in Leeds were so shocked by the “inappropriate” jokes and “badly put together” performance many said they walked out halfway through. The World’s Biggest Productions has since confirmed that following an investigation they will not be providing refunds and have hit back at “false and wildly exaggerated” claims.
Following the first night of Wicked Wizard of Oz: A Cirque Spectacular, parent Becky Rogers contacted LeedsLive to tell us of her displeasure. Becky said: “A ‘cirque spectacular’? The only spectacular thing about this show was managing to leave at the interval. What a complete waste of money and time. I have genuinely never seen anything so embarrassing or unprofessional.
“The show was heavily misadvertised. The promotional material and featured acts led us to believe we were booking an outstanding, high-quality cirque experience. Being staged at Leeds arena – where world-class performers regularly appear – only made the reality even more laughable.
“In truth, it was nothing more than a cheap, badly put together pantomime. As a family of four with no young children, had we known that’s what this was, we would never have booked tickets or wasted £200. I’ve seen better performances from hotel entertainment teams abroad. The props were diabolical, the stage set-up was poor.”
A Facebook group titled The Woeful Wicked Wizard of Oz – A Not-So Cirque Spectacular includes a number of people, who felt similar to Becky, when the production stopped in Leeds. Michelle Sevdan said: “Just attended this utter madness of a show at Leeds arena tonight and couldn’t wait for the interval so we could escape. What a complete waste of money.”
Chris Ayub added: “I don’t know if I’m angry or upset. Highlight of the evening was the free facepaints in the sky lounge. But that was definitely the biggest pile of unlicensed s**t I’ve ever seen.”
Michelle McKechnie wrote: “Leeds, last night. Never in my life have I experienced such c**p. We walked out half way, within the first 10 minutes you could tell how it was going to be. The whole show has been advertised to be amazing, it was amazingly awful. The whole production was like amateur panto at best, the storyline did not flow, the long drawn out scenes of people swirling on ropes to fill the time – boring.” Michelle, along with a number of people who posted, spoke of a scene involving a cucumber, described as ‘inappropriate’ for a family show.
Mands Bartram said: “Attended this most pitiful waste of money at the Leeds First Direct Bank Arena. The script was fragmented, the circus acts were so uninspiring.
“I have seen amateur casts who have performed well above the level seen tonight. It was appalling and the organisers should be ashamed to sell tickets for this complete pile of rubbish event.”
Cherrell Knowles said: “My advice is don’t go. What a load of rubbish and a waste of money. We eventually left in the second half. Because it got no better. I have never, in my 64 years, walked out on a show.”
Vote for Yorkshire’s best music act ever. You can do so by taking part in our poll below or clicking here
It is worth noting that there were some positive remarks in the aforementioned Facebook page which included posts about the Wizard of Oz show when it stopped in Manchester, Hull and other destinations also. Tracey M McGarry said: “We expected the worst after reading the posts over the past few days. But we really enjoyed it and don’t see why it’s got so many negative reviews. But we’re all different. If I compare it to the few pantos I’ve seen (Carriageworks and City Varieties) this was much better. The jokes were silly and just typical panto – and made us all giggle.”
A number of people on the official page for the production have also offered praise. On Instagram Izzywhitfield said: “You guys are the best.” While soph1975xx wrote: “You guys are incredible.”
Amandadawes72 said: “Don’t listen to the negative reviews. This is an amazing show. The cast are all fantastic superstars.”
On Tuesday, December 30 LeedsLive approached the team from The World’s Biggest Productions regarding complaints raised about the show in Leeds and whether any refunds would be granted. On Friday, January 16 they issued us with an in-depth statement.
A spokesperson said: “Thank you for your patience while we fully investigated issues regarding the performance of Wicked Wizard Of Oz. You may have seen some false and wildly exaggerated articles in the media, many since retracted.
“Facebook has removed a malicious group which even contained vile personal attacks on cast members – which we are sure no reasonable person believes is acceptable. It is distressing that you (audience members) personally did not enjoy our show as there was a hugely positive audience reaction – proven in the video taken live at each venue which also dispels some false allegations of large walk outs.
“We have taken comments seriously and investigated personal opinions individually and would make the following general points.
“Show title – The title was Wicked Wizard of Oz and the story was faithfully represented. Well below the title in much smaller font was the descriptor ‘cirque spectacular’ or ‘panto meets cirque’ on the two different marketing campaigns we ran, which identified circus elements would be included in a panto style production.
“Promotional video – The videos advertising the show featured the acts that appeared in the performance. The footage was taken during our workshop rehearsals earlier in the year and we have included highlights of an actual live performance.
“Advertising description – ‘Cirque’ is a descriptive word being an alternative to circus and not a ‘brand’ name. Our 23 cirque elements featured a high-wire, four teeterboard acrobats, four aerial silks artists, four aerial hoop performers, cyr wheel, aerial adagio duo, aerial pole duo, aerial cube duo, aerial strap soloist, fire-blower, hair-hanger, classical pianist and six stilt-walkers. Six of our international performers won silver medals at circus festivals in Moscow and Milan last year.
“Technical issues – Live shows sometimes have technical errors, or an occasional item withdrawn for safety or operational reasons, but in a show of 328 cues nothing occurred in the performance that materially affected the overall delivery of the show.
“Refund – We have taken claims very seriously and have consulted The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers and they do not consider anything contravened their standards of practice. They have conveyed this to some people who have contacted them directly. We have also consulted litigation lawyers and industry specialists for advice and they have advised there are no grounds for a refund based on misleading advertising or performance content.
“Opinions to any live event are subjective and not grounds for a refund. We are sorry if we did not meet your expectations. A copy of this statement has been sent to relevant credit card companies, ticket agents and venues. This correspondence concludes our review of this matter.”
To find out the latest event news in our city you can visit our Best in Leeds homepage. There you will also find a guide to great things to do in Leeds. Stuck at home and wishing you were there? Download your favourite artists from Amazon and Apple music.
Yorkshire Live has launched Explore Yorkshire, which will look at Yorkshire’s unique identity and destinations and celebrate God’s Own County for what it is – the best place in the world. Whether you are looking for a day out, a weekend away or to try somewhere new, Explore Yorkshire is here to help. Our brilliant new newsletter will bring all of this content together for you in one place – sign up here to get it direct to your inbox.