CODYS have done it again.

Warrington’s brilliant youth musical theatre group dazzled audiences at Runcorn’s Brindley Theatre with The Wiz.

The show is a Motown reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, originally a 1978 movie starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

CODYS’ twister of a show blew away memories of Judy Garland lingering from endless Christmas TV repeats.

The Wiz is cooler, hipper, funkier than the original Hollywood film and the young stars of CODYS were well and truly into the groove.

After losing a number of youngsters to university following last September’s show, it was a relief to discover a new generation of powerhouse performers eagerly waiting in the wings.

Step forward Holly Hunter who blew the Brindley roof off as Dorothy.

Joe Anderson as the Scarecrow and a tap-dancing Tin Man in Ed Parry were brilliant as Dorothy’s first companions on the road to Oz.

Natural-born comedian Haydn Cawley stole the show as the Lion, winning some of the biggest laughs of the night. It was a close thing with Neve Buckley as good witch Adaperle putting in a hilarious performance on an out-of-control mobility scooter.

Patrick Hemington proved he has real stage magnetism with an eccentric performance as the Wiz.

For regular followers of CODYS, it was sad to see Holly Gabathuler give her final appearance with the group, as wicked witch Evilene. As always, Holly sang beautifully and gave a tour-de-force performance.

Well done CODYS. Praise especially to director and producer Nick Cupit, musical director Simon Pickup and choreographer Natasha Bill.

Next stop for CODYS: High School Musical in September.