THE unlikeliest of heroes has come to the rescue to make sure an upcoming Dudley musical goes ahead as planned.

Quarry Bank Musical Theatre Society looked all over the country for the perfect pooch to play the role of Toto in their Wizard of Oz performance to no avail.

But their luck changed when leading lady Elysia Stratton – who will play Dorothy in the June shows – brought her own rescue dog Daisy into rehearsals.

Kath Head, publicity manager, said: “We were struggling to find a suitable Toto – Dorothy’s pet dog – to fulfil this role.

“Elysia brought Daisy, which she rescued last year, along to rehearsal and as she was found to be very attentive and well behaved, we realised that here was a star in the making.

“Here was our top dog!”

Toto, along with the munchkins, witches and flying monkeys will be transporting the audience to the Land of Oz when the show takes to the Brierley Hill Civic Hall stage between June 7 and 11.

Tickets costing £11 for adults, £10 for children, and a family ticket for £36, can be bought by calling the box office on 07913 884208.

For more information about the group, visit www.qbmts.org.uk.