NBC To "Ease On Down The Road"? — Page 3

#51

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 1:37pm

Raven would be a great Addaperle! Now I need The Wiz to happen this year!

And, yeah, I was expecting more from the Peter Pan set, but I think it might have looked better with better camera work. In the TV Spots, everything was vibrant, and I thought the sets looked kind of cool, but then in the actual Broadcast, everything was so...muted. They had two experiments: The Sound of Music and Peter Pan...now they know what they need to fix:

-The orchestra is always too loud and it drowns out the singers
-The camera work needs improving
-No weird commercial breaks with Christopher Walken hitting high notes.

Updated On: 1/16/15 at 01:37 PM

#52

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 1:41pm

I loved the interior of the Darling Home and the opening shot was quite beautiful. But as for the Neverland set, I wasn't a fan. As for The Wiz, I need Patti Labelle, Audra McDonald, Raven Symone, and Janelle Monáe in this SOMEHOW.

#53

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 1:42pm

Would really love to see this happen over The Music Man! Here's my dream cast...

Dorothy- Keke Palmer
Scarecrow- Bruno Mars
Tin Man- Usher
Lion- JMI
The Wiz- Brian S. Mitchell
Glinda- Audra
Evillene- Either Raven or Aretha Franklin

#54

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 1:44pm

Audra's too busy with Kiss Of The Spiderwoman

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If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

#55

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 1:44pm

Always forgot my girl Ciara! I would love to see her as Dorothy. She has a warm tenderness about her that I think could work. However, I think she questionably reads too old. She could make a stunning Glinda though.

Updated On: 1/16/15 at 01:44 PM

#56

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 1:50pm

I was just wishing for this the other day. This would be way more exciting than The Music Man.

#57

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 2:41pm

I'm telling you there gonna get an actual well known name for Dorothy. Stephanie Mills went and did the Wiz when she was 20 and then returned and did it again in 1993. I don't see why Jennifer Hudson couldn't do Dorothy. It seems obvious to me in a way because she was in SMASH (on NBC) and her character was going into do a production of the Wiz. Don't get me wrong I love Keke Palmer but she isn't a big enough name.

Updated On: 1/16/15 at 02:41 PM

#58

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 2:44pm

Except Stephanie Mills has always been 4'9" tops, and the last time she did it on Broadway (1984, I believe), they were saying she looked too old for the part, height notwithstanding.

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Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28

#59

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 2:55pm

Jennifer Hudson, age aside, is too mature to play Dorothy. She'd look ridiculous in the role.

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A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.

#60

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 2:57pm

Zadan just confirmed that they are now discussing which project will come first. I do hope they choose the wiz. It's fresh compared to The Music Man. And the casting opportunities are much more exciting. They could even have cameos by the OBC.

#61

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 2:59pm

Hudson looks way too old for the role. We don't have 30+ get between the actress and the audience when she is on screen. You can get away with that on stage, the screen isa different beast. Besides we already have a version of The Wiz with a Dorothy who was too old for the role. If they are going to redo it, then they need to redo it right.

#62

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:06pm

Hudson is truly too mature for the role. She's a 6 foot tall 33 year old woman. Even vocally, she sounds too mature.

#63

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:06pm

If they do it this year, Hudson couldnt be Dorothy anyway, because of the Color Purple.

#64

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:10pm

Jennifer Holliday for Dorothy! Hey, if she can still play Effie, then she can play Dorothy! :-p

#65

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:20pm

Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Holliday, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Raven Symone, Janelle Monáe, Chaka Khan, Lillias White, Saycon Sengbloh, Syesha Mercado, Keke Palmer, Taraji P. Henson, Kecia Lewis Evans, Ashanti, Toni Braxotn, even Brandy...so many possibilities.

For The Wiz, I'd love to see someone like Smokey Robinson or Lionel Richie would be fun. It would never happen but even someone like Stevie Wonder...and they could Oz-ify his glasses!

Updated On: 1/16/15 at 03:20 PM

#66

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:29pm

Loretta Devine as Aunt Em

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If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

#67

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:43pm

Vanessa Williams as Glinda
Jennifer Hudson as Aunt Em
Aretha Franklin as Evilene
Patti Labelle as Adaperle

Andre De Shields as The Wiz

Wayne Brady as the Tinman
Eddie Murphy as the Lion

Cast younger (as in 15-17) for Dorothy and the Scarecrow.

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"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."

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blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22

#68

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:45pm

What would you folks think of having a more multi-racial cast than just an all African-American cast?
Would it matter given the subject matter or does it have to be all one ethnicity because it's The Wiz?

#69

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 3:50pm

I don't think it has to be an all black cast but I do think it would be interesting considering that it's done that way traditionally and there are so so so many wonderful candidates that fit the characters so perfectly.

#70

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 4:04pm

Loving the idea of Eddie Murphy as the Lion!

I'm really hoping Dorothy is China Anne McClain! I think she'll be perfect!


Please, Neil Meron and Craig Zedon...Do. The. Wiz!

#71

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 4:06pm

best12bars - I think Mr. deShields is not up to The Wiz, anymore. The video of him at Gypsy of the Year made him look....old. They didn't have him do any of the moves I remember seeing him do...so long ago.

As for ratings - the Raisin in the Sun with Sean Combs and Audra in 2008 had almost 13 million viewers - so that suggests that NBC should have little worry about ratings based on strictly black cast.
Gypsy of the Year Celebrates The Wiz

#72

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 4:16pm

I HOPE IT'S THE WIZ!!!!

That would be a fantastic (and for me, totally unexpected) choice.

#73

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 4:23pm

Since the orchestrations for the NBC stuff always seem to be conglomerations, can we get the rights to inject some of what Quincy Jones did? I especially love the horns on "Mean Ole Lion," and "Everybody Rejoice (Brand New Day)" just has so much more oomph. Don't get me wrong, I love Harold Wheeler's charts, but if your first exposure was the movie version, and then you hear the cast recording, as I did, the snoozing tempi and the thinness of sound in the latter really hit you the wrong way.

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Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28

#74

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 4:26pm

I imagine David Chase would adapt the best of both worlds into the orchestrations to gives us the most action packed sound Wiz we've ever heard.

#75

NBC To

Posted: 1/16/15 at 5:11pm

I think it should be played with an all-black cast for three reasons:

1. It was created with that casting intended.
2. It works that way, not broke/don't fix it.
3. With recent current events in America, I can only imagine the backlash that would happen if a black role was replaced with an actor of another race. Oscars are getting negative feedback for being whitewashed and it would just be a touchy subject to take a risk on.

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I am big. It’s the REVIVALS that got small.

Updated On: 1/16/15 at 05:11 PM