The WIZ LIVE : post your comments and thoughts live during the show here- Page 10

[ElizaSchuyler]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 8:35am

Roscoe said: "And I'm noticing a near total silence online about this.  What if they did THE WIZ and nobody watched?

 

"Nobody watched The Wiz, nobody watched The Wiz.""

 

There were over a million tweets using the #TheWiz hashtag on Twitter so not really something I'd describe as a near silence about it online.

 

Updated On: 12/4/15 at 08:35 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 8:42am

I loved the Scarecrow's mask!

 

[bryan2]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 9:10am

FIVE  WORDS

STEPHANIE MILLS

NEYO

 

FREAKING AMAZING

[sdgold60]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 9:10am

Though i did not care for the reference in the changes in the book such as overusing "throwing shade" or representin', you have to give Fierstein credit for raising the issues about a white guy rewriting the script. He initially refused and was informed that the original book WAS written by a white guy, so he took it on. I thought the costumes and performances were outstanding.  Each Actor nailed their parts and songs.  

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 9:33am

I forgot how terrible The Wiz score is. There are some gems but dang that score is just awful. 

[Owen22]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 9:37am

Hamilton22 said: "I forgot how terrible The Wiz score is. There are some gems but dang that score is just awful. 

And I'm sure you think the score of "Legally Blonde" is wonderful.

 

"

 

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 9:54am

Both are mediocre as hell. The wiz has ease on down, home, if you believe and a few other good ones but besides that, it really has a jank score. 

[RooMcGoo]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 9:58am

So...does that mean you can't feel a brand new day? 

 

The Wiz (An Incomplete History): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox2gY0e206Y&feature=youtu.be

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 10:02am

NBC and Broadway Masterworks should have made the soundtrack available today. I desperately need Ne-Yo's version of "If I Can Feel". He just took that song and owned it. It was one of the highlights of last night's broadcast for me.

Updated On: 12/4/15 at 10:02 AM

[Up In One]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 10:33am

http://tvline.com/2015/12/04/the-wiz-live-ratings-nbc/

 

Better than Peter Pan not as good as Sound of Music

[Renart]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 10:37am

LizzieCurry said: "I don't know The Wiz as a show very well at all (the one time I saw it live was a probably illegally truncated version with about 10 white preteens), "

 

I think you and I must have seen the same show! 

 

 

"but what I suspected were newer lines from Fierstein really stuck out way too much."

 

 

I completely agree.  The dialogue scenes last night really ruined it for me. 

 

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 10:37am

I never saw the original production (despite hearing some of the songs and seeing the performance on the Tony Awards back then) so I have to judge the show on what I saw last night.  And what I saw last night didn't impress me that much.  The score is okay ("Ease On Down the Road", "Brand New Day", "Be a Lion", "Home", and "No Bad News" being the highlights).  The script was simplistic and seemed to just hit the same scenes as the Judy Garland movie, albeit in a different way.  The opening scene in Kansas was so short I did not see why Dorothy was unhappy except for saying "I hate school", "I hate this farm" or "I miss my parents" before she was wisked away by the tornado.  She came across as a sullen kid.  Why would I care what happens to her?

 

The actors, for the most part, were fine and had good voices.  The young lady who played Dorothy has a knockout voice that came through on her last song.  Ne-Yo had an interesting take on the Tin Man but I had trouble understanding his lines (lots of mumbling).  Common was a stiff (even if he was playing a bored doorman).  Amber Riley seemed to be having fun.  The actors playing the Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion were buried under so much makeup that I was uncomfortable watching them.  Mary J. Blige was very loud but looked lost.  Stephanie Mills was lovely.

 

I enjoyed some of the dancing and the use of flying actors (particularly in the crow scene).  But the tornado transition was weak as was Dorothy and the guys being captured by the monkeys.  The opening dance scene at Oz was terrible.  The giant Wizard head looked cool but was very clunky.  The Munchkin costumes were fun (as were their chipmunk voices and waddling) but their scene (as were others) felt like they were under-populating a large soundstage.

 

I think one of the problems with doing a live show on TV is the lack of an audience, but more importantly, the constant commercial breaks.  On stage, a story flows from one scene to another without stopping (except for the intermission).  On the big screen, a story is edited but there are no breaks to interrupt the mood or continuity.  On the small screen, those commercials  interrupt the story for several minutes, thus creating short little scenes that destroy any sense of immersive storytelling.  Maybe the show would feel different if the commercials weren't there but, honestly, I have no interest in watching this again.

 

  

Updated On: 12/4/15 at 10:37 AM

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 10:45am

I loved it! It completely blew the other two out of the water! Uzo Abuba and Stephanie Mills were highlights! I am very pleased with how this went, and loved every minute. Take it for what it is. This presentation or the show itself isn't exactly Hamlet.

Updated On: 12/4/15 at 10:45 AM

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 10:50am

While I think it was miles above the others - there were some problems and most of them had to do with pacing and length.

I'm interested to see how many people stayed with the program throughout the whole showing and who decided to bail.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:02am

It's on On Demand so I am watcging it now!

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:03am

 

Interesting that for the upcoming Broadway revival that is based on last night's broadcast they went for a completely different look and title treatment. This logo actually reminds me of the one used for the film.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:03am

You probably can't fast forward through the commercials so I'll look forward to your review in about five and a half hours. 

[RevolutionaryCostume]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:06am

How did NBC handle the time zone issue? Did they replay it for the West coast, or did the cast do the show live twice? 

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:31am

It is a taped broadcast for the West Coast. Not live. 

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:36am

11 million viewers. Not as much as the Sound of Music, but up a lot from last year.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:36am

We’ll update with more ratings as they come in later, but here’s a few notes to hum: Peter Pan Live! ended up with a so-so 2.4/7 rating in the demo on December 4, 2014, with 9.13 million total viewers. That’s basically just over half of what Sound Of Music Live! had on December 5, 2013 with a 4.6/13 rating and a massive audience of 18.62 million. Looking at the MM numbers, it’s pretty certain The Wiz Live! will come in somewhere nicely in the middle, making No. 3 now No. 2.

 

http://deadline.com/2015/12/the-wiz-live-ratings-green-bay-packers-detroit-lions-nfl-cbs-nbc-1201652343/

 

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:39am

I beat you to it Liza!

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:39am

Not as much as the Sound of Music, but up a lot from last year.

 

Approximately 1.5 million more viewers is considered "a lot"? Interesting. 

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:40am

1.5 million people isn't a lot? 

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 12/4/15 at 11:45am

Wow! Those are some really impressive numbers!