Outraged families walked out of a pantomime performance in Glasgow this weekend, branding the disastrous production "Willy Wonka Experience 2.0".
Show labelled a 'shambles' and 'falsely advertised'
The event, 'The Wicked Wizard of Oz: Cirque Spectacular', was staged at the city's OVO Hydro arena on Saturday, December 27. Promoted by World’s Biggest Productions as a "brand-new, breath-taking, Cirque staging", it promised a fusion of panto and circus. Instead, attendees described it as an "inappropriate, overpriced and falsely advertised" let-down.
Mum-of-two Carol-Ann Henderson told Glasgow Live the show was a "shambles". "It has been completely mis-sold and advertised as a cirque spectacular. If I said it was an amateur production that would be a lie, I've seen better school shows," she said.
Another parent revealed he paid £297 for a family of five to attend. "This blows the Willy Wonka Experience right out of the water. Embarrassing performance from a high-profile production company," he stated.
Rapid exit and mounting complaints
Dissatisfaction was immediate and widespread. One anonymous attendee said she had "never seen the Hydro empty so fast". She criticised the poor sound quality, props, and a lack of coherent storyline, citing odd sights like a witch on a bike strapped to a golf cart and munchkins on stilts.
Disgruntled audience members have since flocked to a Facebook group titled 'The Woeful Wicked Wizard of Oz - A Not-So Cirque Spectacular', which has amassed 1,200 members. The page, created after a previous show in Brighton, is filled with similar complaints from across the UK.
Posts from the Glasgow show include one from Fiona Hanton, who wrote: "Left after the first half, absolutely disgusting." Another from Dawn Page added: "Just walked out of the terrible performance in Glasgow. The show is currently still on but absolutely shocking."
Production company's defence
In response to criticism reported by the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for The World's Biggest Productions defended the show. They stated it had opened in Blackpool in October to a "fantastic response".
The company argued that promotional videos featured acts from workshop rehearsals or live Blackpool performances. They emphasised that the descriptor "cirque spectacular" was in smaller typeface, indicating circus elements within a panto style, and noted that six cast members had won silver medals at European circus festivals.
"It was never suggested this was a Cirque de Soleil production," the spokesperson said, comparing their ticket prices of £29 to £70 to Cirque du Soleil's £66 to £372. They added that the show contained traditional silly panto jokes and suggested that unhappy patrons represented a tiny fraction of their annual audience of over 150,000.
The OVO Hydro hosted a second performance on Sunday, December 28, as planned. Both the venue and the production company have been approached for further comment by GlasgowLive.
