THE WIZ Reviews- Page 4

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 5:27pm

Thanks, Malice. Was the seat markedly better than what you can get for ~$25 or so in the back/side of the orch or the side mid-mezz?

[Marianne2]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:16pm

The $25 seats in the orchestra are off to the sides, but still good. I sat in that area yesterday and could see fine.

That said, I enjoyed it. I disliked Ashanti, but that's about it.

[swwnyc]

Posted: 6/21/09 at 11:56pm

Ashanti's performance in this show was the worst I have seen in any professional or amateur production of any show. I can't believe that the director and choreographer let her on the stage on opening night. Couldn't they have told her to feign an injury and put on the understudy for the thee week run? That's what happened in Pal Joey before it opened. She looked like a deer in the headlights for every moment she was on stage. It was like watching a train wreck and difficult to keep my eyes off of her when I wanted to be looking at the other performers - most of whom were good. And who put her in a short dress? Those are the worst legs I've ever seen on a leading actress. When she made a pathetic attempt to dance, she couldn't even keep time to the music. It's been 24 hours since I saw the show, and I'm still in shock.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:00am

Those are the worst legs I've ever seen on a leading actress.


- WTF? You have issues. Criticizing her performance is fine, but her LEGS???

[Barnaby151]

Posted: 6/22/09 at 12:18am

Listen to Nikki Renee Daniels' Be a Lion on youtube, so good

[TheSeafarer]

Posted: 6/27/09 at 7:55pm

This Wiz Fails to Wow - Matinee Performance 6/27/09

If you are a fan of the original 1975 Broadway production of the Wiz you will be disappointed by its latest incarnation at the City Center in New York.

While there are some strong performances and some inventive choreography the show on the whole is subpar. The orchestra hovers above the center stage on a large tree house type construction, it is impressive to behold but, it eats up a large chunk of the performance space and much of the movement in the show seems messy because of it. It would have been better to place the orchestra further upstage like the band in Hair. This would have greatly opened up the stage.

Paul Tazewell's costume design is bright, vibrant and colorful and definitely captures the whimsy and electricity of Oz. However, the choice to dress the yellow brick road dancers in black was a mistake. They appear like a contingent of mimes that got sucked into Oz from the same Tornado that misplaced Dorothy.

Andy Blakenbuehler's choreography is clever and energetic but, seems a bit cluttered and bunched up on occasion due to the encroachment of the towering orchestra set.

Ashanti as Dorothy is horrendous. Her voice is okay, but, her complete lack of prensence destroys her time on stage. She seems to be completely lost and wanders around zombie-like as if she was just woken up in the middle of the night and told to enter stage left. If this show somehow transfers to Broadway there is no way in the world it will include Ashanti. During the curtain calls there were hollers and hoots for many of the cast members but, when Ashanti took her bow there was only a rather bland friendly applause. Dorothy is the anchor of the show and with Ashanti at the helm this Wiz production is completely adrift.

The other big minus is Orlando Jones as the Wiz. Jones cannot sing a lick and his ersatz baritone is annoying. Tichina Arnold as Evillene, the wicked witch does a serviceable job, but overacts a bit. I didn't particularly care for LaChanze, she has a big booming voice, but somehow I just didn't enjoy her performance. Christian Dante White as the Scarecrow is pretty good. His "I was Born the Day Before Yesterday" was a little flat and lacked the power and flourish that Hinton Battle brought to the role in the original production.

Standouts in this show are Dawn Lewis as Addaperle, Joshua Henry as the Tinman and James Monroe Iglehart as the Lion. Henry's Tinman is soulful and extremely likeable. Lewis in a supporting role has some good moments and a natural comic flair. Iglehart imbues his character with all the comic bravado and touching pathos you would expect and he completely wins the audience over, his powerful voice soars particularly on the tender "Be A Lion" duet with Ashanti.

The overall pacing of the show is good, it moves along crisply. Alex Lacamoire and the orchestra are excellent, they capture the bouncy, catchy rhythms of the score and deserve praise.

A minor quibble; where was Toto? He appeared only briefly at the beginning and end of the show. It's not a big deal really, but, I remember the dog in the original show was on throughout. I agree with others about the witch melting, it was totally uninspired. There is a weak wave of a blue scarf and soon Tichina Arnold is lowered through a trap door elevator. It would have been much more effective if they'd used a fog machine and some colorful confetti for the water.

There are no sets to speak of in this production, just a billowy piece of fabric that flutters and stands in for the Emerald City and the Wicked Witch's lair.

In the end though the wavy, fluttery fabric is a metaphor for the overall show, as it takes on the look of a deflated balloon. The air has escaped from this production and it has been weighed down by some unfortunate casting choices. My advice is to pop in the original soundtrack and save yourself the money.



Updated On: 6/27/09 at 07:55 PM

[coloratura]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 5:28pm

Okay, I saw the Wiz last night and it was beyond dreadful. I felt like I was watching a HS production. Ashanti couldn't be stiffer or more uncomfortable on stage. Ashanti has the same expression for every emotion...awful. She is just horribly miscast. While some of the other performers were decent, overall the show was just poorly produced and directed. Ashanti can sing fairly well but she needs some serious acting lessons. La Chanze was the only redeeming thing about this show.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 5:41pm

TheSeafarer-
Toto didn't go to Oz with Dorothy in the original either.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 6:22pm

My advice is to pop in the original soundtrack and save yourself the money.

I'm assuming you're referring to the OBCR which actually wouldn't be so bad if half the songs didn't fade out needlessly. These days I'll go see the show live just to hear the end of the songs.

[brandontwin2]

Posted: 7/1/09 at 1:39pm

Has anybody seen the show since Colman Domingo stepped in as The Wiz?

[Lilytaz]

Posted: 7/6/09 at 11:28am

I saw Colman Domingo; I have nothing to compare him to, but I thought he was pretty good.

BTW, I also thought Nigel was stellar as Toto!