The last to NBC musicals were not good. The Sound of Music want awful, but it was far from good. Miss Underwood's acting was laughable at best, she lacked charisma, and had zero chemistry with her captain. Her voice was pleasant, but she lowered the entire production with her pathetic acting. Fortunately, the show itself was the real star that year. The Sound of Music itself is what kept it from being awful.
Peter Pan was nothing but a mess. There were zero redeeming factors here. It was entirely miscast. The acting was embarrassing on all fronts. Even Kelli O'HaraHara seemed like she wanted to be doing anything else. Eventhough the musical has had many revivals and touring productions over the years, the show is not strong enough to save itself from a bad production or terrible acting.
I suspect that if The Wiz ends up not being great, it will follow The Sound of Music's lead, and not be awful. Like The Sound of Music, The Wiz has a built in audience. Actually, it has several different built in audiences. It has the black community who hold the show in high regard due to its cultural importance, it has the audience who will tune in for the talent that has been cast, and the huge fan base of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I am not tslking abouth the 1939 film, but the novel, which has been loved by audiences since 1900. The Wiz is a closer adaptation than the 1939 film, and it is respected for that reason. There are also those who are fans of the original broadway production, and those who are excited to see a cult film be remade. While it is true that The Wiz has not been seen on Broadway since 1984, it has still had a very healthy life in regional, community, college, and high school the as theatres for the last several decades. The Wiz remains a popular show, the original film (which is really bad) is a cult classic, and this cast is largely great (I am a bit Curtis as to how I will feel about Queen Latifah come December). I would think twice before poo-pooing this until it airs.
Oh, and don't forget musicaljen, the 1939 film is not the end all be all adaptation adaptation that you seem to think it is. I love the movie, i really do, but it really is a terribly loose adaptation of one of the greatest children's novels ever written. I hold it in high regard as a great film, but it really isn't THE Wizard of Oz, it is just one adaptation of many.
Updated On: 8/9/15 at 03:27 AM
