Residents from Redcot, our residential care home in Haslemere, Surrey, had a magical, ‘Over the Rainbow’ time visiting Haslemere Hall to see the latest production of the classic tale, The Wizard of Oz.
“We know how much the residents enjoy the theatre, especially musical theatre, so when we heard that The Wizard of Oz was being performed at Haslemere Hall, it was the perfect place to go for an afternoon outing,” said Jan Daly, the Registered Manager at Redcot.
Members of the Redcot Care Team escorted the residents along The Yellow Brick Road, as they started their magical adventure to The Land of Oz. The classic and timeless L. Frank Baum tale tells the story of Dororthy Gale, a young girl from Kansas who flies over the rainbow after being swept up in a tornado and taken to the enchanted Land of Oz. “As we were waiting for the show to start, the residents were reminiscing about the first time they ever saw the 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland,” continued Jan. “Once the performance got underway, it was lovely to hear everyone joining in with the beloved songs – Over the Rainbow, Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead, The Merry Old Land of Oz and, of course, We’re off to see The Wizard.”
The production was a visually immersive experience which included amazing staging, lovely costumes, glittering lighting and fantastic screen projections, all creating the mystical Land of Oz.
“During the interval, the residents tucked into a delicious Cornish Ice Cream treat and continued to talk about their ‘Wizarding’ memories,” continued Jan.
“The residents really know their movie trivia. I had no idea that Dorothy’s famous sequined shoes were originally silver, like they are referred to in the Oz books. One of the residents, Tim Rait, who has lived at Redcot since April 2023, told me that it was MGM’s Louis B. Mayer who changed them to the iconic Ruby Slippers as he wanted a colour that would show off Technicolor.
“Another resident, Joyce Douglas, who has been with us at Redcot since February 2022, told us all that when you see The Tin Man crying he isn’t actually crying oil as it didn’t photograph well. In fact, he’s crying chocolate syrup,” added Jan. “I really do learn something new from the residents every day.”
Interestingly, Haslemere Hall has a special link to Redcot Care Home. Barclay Lewis Day, the Father of Edith Day, who originally owned Redcot, built Haslemere Hall.
In 1912, with his own money, Barclay decided to build a Hall in the town. He invited well-known architects of the day to submit their plans in a competition for the best building design. Judged by an important member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Annesley Brownrigg F.R.I.B.A. won the competition.
Building work started in 1912 and Haslemere Hall was officially opened in January 1914. This, however, was just before the beginning of World War I so, for the first four years of its life, Haslemere Hall was requisitioned by the War Office. When Barclay died in 1913, and in 1919, Edith gifted Haslemere Hall to the town as that is what her Father had intended. Edith, who lived with her Cousin, Phyllis, at Redcot was considered Haslemere’s greatest benefactor and a plaque at the base of the staircase at Haslemere Hall commemorates the generous gift.
“All the residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves and had a ‘Ding! Dong!’ time watching The Wizard of Oz,” said Jan.
“They are already thinking about their next theatre outing. I’m not sure what our next thespian experience will be just yet as Haslemere Hall has quite a few offerings coming up over the next few months. The choices are so different, we’ll ask the residents what they’d like to see, but I’m sure the Christmas pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, will definitely be on their list.
“Whatever they decide, I don’t think there will be as many ‘Lions and Tigers and Bears – Oh My,’ next time, but whatever we see, I know they will have a wonderful time,” concluded Jan.
To find out more about Redcot care home, call 01428 644 637 or email enquiries@fote.org.uk.