With bows in her pigtails, red shoes on her feet and a white diamante dress that sparkles in the light, Tayla Alexander is a glowed-up Dorothy Gale. At just 23 she has crafted a compelling cabaret in Tayla in Oz, which began as a university assignment and has become her professional debut. Featuring songs from Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, this blend of memoir and musical theatre about Alexander’s migration from South Africa to South Australia is both hilarious and heart-rending.

Although she began with too much articulation in her storytelling voice that came across as slightly inauthentic, this improved as the emerging artist relaxed throughout her opening night. Alexander’s vocals are impressive from the get-go in a silky smooth rendition of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’, with only a few strained notes scattered throughout the overall show. She covers 14 musical numbers in total, and while most are quite short, they are well-paced with the storytelling. 

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Alexander alters the lyrics to match her anecdotes to mostly entertaining effect. The audience was particularly pleased with “unadulterated loathing” becoming “painful, agonising bloating” during ‘What Is This Feeling?’ and ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ turned ‘As Long As There’s Wine’. Alexander’s comedic talents are also showcased in amusing impressions of her dramatic Lebanese mother in ‘Defying Quarantine’, and a Vegemite-fuelled pest control escapade during a medley of ‘Popular’, ‘No One Mourns the Wicked’ and ‘Ding Dong! The Witch/Spidey Bitch is Dead’.

The matching of musical numbers to personal anecdotes is done well, with emotional ones – such as the ‘Unlimited’ motif when she’s boarding the plane to her new home – pulling on the heart strings. Alexander sinks into the emotional depths of her story in the final third, with poignant reflections on hardships faced amid ‘I Couldn’t Be Happier’, ‘Not That Girl’ and ‘For Good’. Alexander’s sentiments are evident on her face, inviting the audience in with her vulnerability. Peter Johns must also be celebrated for his flawless contributions on the piano.

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There were a few stiff moments throughout the show, such as when Alexander likened a South African iced coffee drink to Starbucks, which is more of an American thing, while South Australians are known as Farmers Union fanatics. She also tried her hand at rap, which felt underwhelming, and perhaps could have been replaced by a song to accompany her discussion about how Aussies love adding an “o” to the end of every word.

Alexander was humble when her performance ended in a great round of applause, but she is to be commended for producing a thoughtful piece that balances both the highs and lows of her immigration story and flows with ease.

Tayla in Oz is playing at Plant 4 Bowden from March 7–21