The Wiz- Page 3

[Mirth]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 2:54pm

WOW!!! Thanks for the pix from the touring company.
I like your new av photo, too... best12!
Updated On: 9/8/06 at 02:54 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 3:04pm

Thanks, Mirth.



I'm liking your Judy Holliday av pic myself!

[jacco]

Posted: 9/10/06 at 10:46am

The new Dodger Endemol production openend in Holland last night. Word of mouth so far has been pretty awful. If you want to see some stuff you could go to:

http://www.musicals.nl/

[JasonM12480]

Posted: 9/10/06 at 12:03pm

Say what you will about the Dutch...but I think the costumes, makeup and "feel" of the show are excellent. I love the Quincy Jones arrangements from the movie - even if you hate the movie version, the musical arrangements have always felt like they belonged on stage. It would be nice to see something similar on the New York stage once again.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/10/06 at 12:10pm

I love Quincy Jone's arrangements from the film but they are VERY 1970s disco; they wouldn't work if the goal, like in Des's version, is to "modernize" the piece.

[beuk-et-moi]

Posted: 9/13/06 at 6:11am

The reviews of last weeks European premiere of the Wiz are mixed to positive.
I have tickets to see the show next month, after i have seen the la jolla production !
Here some pictures and clips from the Dutch show in Utrecht

http://www.wizfansite.nl/video.htm

http://www.musicalsite.be/TheWizShow.asp
http://www.musicalsite.be/TheWizWhosWho.asp
http://www.musicalsite.be/TheWizzBis.asp

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 9/13/06 at 8:45am

Gah. Visually, it does nothing for me. Based on the photos, it looks like they took the movie screenplay and tried to put that on the stage, which means the set has to be so flexible to accomodate the multitude of scenes that as a result it doesnt look like much of anything.

Yes, I know, I'm basing my judgment on the production photos. Well, at least this time around there's more available. But it simply confirms what I said earlier about another revival whose title shall not be mentioned lest I enrage the fanboys once again. There's nothing here. There's no real continuity of style. It's a bunch of hardline graphics that dont convey anything; they just sit there and look pretty in a vaguely 70s kind of way. But do they really say anything about Oz itself? Where's the incredibly demented quality that made the original stage version so damn much fun to watch? My guess is that the design brief for the set designer was to keep the stage as clear as possible for the dancers, and whoever took the job did that in spades.

Unfortunate. The material is so much fun that it almost demands the designers rise to its level of wit and joy. This, from what I can see, doesnt do that. This looks like it's from that school of "Hey, let's put on a revival but not really think about it too much."

Just my 0.02.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 9/13/06 at 1:00pm

I've said it before, but my design concept for the show would be a sort landscape of ever-shifted 3D grafitti. I think if they are going to do a new revival they have to ground it in contemporary urban culture, and this would be a great way to do that. I hope they don' try and make it a 70's nostalgia peice. I think they need to update the orchstrations and choreography and make it very contemporary. That was the reason it was s such a hit to begin with.

Akiva

[mateo]

Posted: 9/13/06 at 1:02pm

no akiva no... no one should update a 70s show. The sound of 70s musicals were just too good!

[beuk-et-moi]

Posted: 9/15/06 at 3:34pm

New TV commercial for European premiere of The wiz

http://www.musicals.nl/jetp/movies/wizz.mpg

[guyfromoz2]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 3:45pm

I saw this show twice when it was in Minneapolis. It was great. Why did the tour end so quickly?

I would LOVE to see photos from the show!!!

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 8:39pm

I really liked the production down in La Jolla three or four years ago...I thought it was ready for Broadway.

how did this thread even get bumped up?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 9:03pm

^ I liked it too, but you and I are like the only ones.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/11/11 at 9:14pm

The post about the progam book reminded me that mine just might still be in the basement of my niece's house where some of my old stuff is. She said there were Playbills and things in a box. I need to check now.