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THE WIZ casting rumours

Michael Bennett Profile Photo
Michael Bennett
#0THE WIZ casting rumours
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:11pm

From the ATC board: rumoured to be early casting offers for La Jolla - I hope to God this is not right:

Dorothy: Shoshana Bean
Evilene: Marty Testa
The Lion: Titus Burgess

Awful choices if true (except for Burgess who is wonderful), but lets keep in mind that the La Jolla production is NOT yet Broadway bound.

EDIT: I'm revising the title, no use to be negative as most of the casting that is coming to fruition is pretty good. Still hate the idea of Mary Testa, but we'll focus on the positive.


Updated On: 7/17/06 at 10:11 PM

Rathnait62 Profile Photo
Rathnait62
#1re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:13pm

Besides the obvious reasons why she would not be good, Bean looks like she's 35.


Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson

Princeton78 Profile Photo
Princeton78
#2re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:18pm

I'd love to see Shoshana learn to pronounce her vowels correctly when she sings. *Sigh*


"Y'all have a GRAND day now"

Michael Bennett Profile Photo
Michael Bennett
#3re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:18pm

Maybe Des is making her a 35 year old school teacher like in that awful movie.

This has come up before in other threads but I'll say it again. There is NO NEED to update the WIZ. It is a 1970s black R&B/Funk/Gospel musicalization of the story.

THE WIZARD OF OZ is in public domain, and if La Jolla wants to do a modern take on it, they should just hire a composing team to write their own hip hop/rap multi-ethnic version of the Baum novel.

I don't get it.

broadwaybelter Profile Photo
broadwaybelter
#4re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:18pm

well the up to shoshana being Dorothy is that she has a very soulful voice....make-up? masks? paper bags? Shoshana does look a lot older than Dorothy. Though I wouldn't exactly detest Mary Testa in here...

wicked_chitown
#5re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:23pm

Isn't Shoshana contracted for the Wicked Tour during that time period?

And as much as I love Shoshana's soulful voice, I really would rather see it cast "traditionally". My opinion.

Night
#6re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:24pm

Nikki M. James as Dorothy!

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broadwaybelter
#7re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:30pm

wicked_chitown good point! She'll be w/Wicked from September 6th-November 26th. "The Wiz" plays La Jolla September 26th-November 12th.

Corine2 Profile Photo
Corine2
#8re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:33pm

Mary Bond Davis needs to be in this.
So does Felicia P Fields.
I am so excited about the WIZ.

apdarcey
#9re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:33pm

mb. i'm sure you can think of worse people than mary testa to be involved in this project.

Corine2 Profile Photo
Corine2
#10re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:34pm

Mary Bond Davis as Evilene!

Katurian2 Profile Photo
Katurian2
#11re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:35pm

aw, can we do better than casting ex-Elphabas in EVERY role? Geez...


"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck

Benzy92 Profile Photo
Benzy92
#12re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:35pm

BEN LOVES SHOSHANA.

(that is all.)

Corine2 Profile Photo
Corine2
#13re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:37pm

Shoshanna?
For the Wiz?
LOL!

Night
#14re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:38pm

Shoshana? Riiiight

Nikki James IS Dorothy
Updated On: 6/25/06 at 10:38 PM

adamgreer Profile Photo
adamgreer
#15re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:00pm

I doubt very highly Shoshana will be cast, unless she is not doing the Wicked tour anymore.

Plus, I mean come on....Shoshana in THE WIZ??
Updated On: 6/25/06 at 11:00 PM

inlovewithjerryherman Profile Photo
inlovewithjerryherman
#16re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:03pm

if this is true, this production sounds like it's going to be BIZARRE.

DAME Profile Photo
DAME
#17re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:03pm

MB,
Chill. It is all good.


HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

ljay889 Profile Photo
ljay889
#18re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:04pm

Brenda Braxton as Glinda please.. Thank you.

Caroline-Q-or-TBoo Profile Photo
Caroline-Q-or-TBoo
#19re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:06pm

Mary Testa!?

*is perplexed*


"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed

RentBoy86
#20re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:09pm

What's it matter that she's an Ex-Elphaba? It's a tough role to sing and it's in a big major Broadway hit. I don't get why people bash someone for playing the part.

But anyways, Nikki M. James! Please!

adamgreer Profile Photo
adamgreer
#21re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:10pm

I could care less that she's an ex-Elphaba. There are other, more obvious reasons why her being cast in this would, to say the least, odd.

Roses
#22re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:12pm

a rumor is a rumor. let's wait for an anouncement!

BroomstickBoy Profile Photo
BroomstickBoy
#23re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:15pm

Whatever happened to the updated ethnic version of the Wizard of Oz with Patti Labelle as the Wicked Witch and Queen Latifah as Glinda, along with Monica as Dorothy?


I don't WANT to live in what they call "a certain way." In the first place I'd be no good at it and besides that I don't want to be identified with any one class of people. I want to live every whichway, among all kinds---and know them---and understand them---and love them---THAT's what I want! - Philip Barry (Holiday)

Jazzysuite82
#24re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:15pm

Wasn't Anika noni Rose supposed to do it at some point? I acutally wouldn't mind Mary Testa. She's def got a presence for it. Also FYI they're changing the whole thing up. It's much more modern using Hip hop and a lot of urban sounds. It's being reorchestrated. The choreography in the audition was sort of African and REDICULOUSLY hard. A Couple of people just walked outta the room. It'll be interesting how they update it.


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