THE WIZ: 2015 NBC LIVE MUSICAL — Page 32

And he's right. The CGI backdrop looks like it could easily be swapped for The Muppet Wizard of Oz.

That said, I hope it's just for the commercial and the actual production is less cheap and sanitized.

Also, that is the OBC they play on that commercial.

Can I express my opinion and say that the "no place like home" tag line in that commercial was even more infuriating than the CGI backgrounds? The Wiz is not the MGM Wizard of Oz. YouTube is flooded with videos of high school productions using costumes and scenery from their previous productions of The Wizard of Oz and it's easy to see why attempts at making The Wiz more like the MGM film are often disastrous. The inclusion of that classic piece of dialogue from the MGM film to advertise The Wiz is pandering at best. I would hope that it hasn't actually been added in Harvey's new book. Every step this creative team takes demonstrates further distrust of the material.

"This is a message board, where anyone can express what they want, even negative opinions."

Oh don't give me that. This board is notorious for cutting down other people's opinions and being rude. I've read threads where many of you attacked a poster for a negative opinion about a show or a film. It's okay when one of your friends does it but if someone outside the circle does it, the regulars attack. I got attacked by a regular for saying something negative about the Into The Woods film just a few weeks ago. If people want to criticize something then that's fine. but don't act like the person criticizing hasn't done the shilling for other projects. .

"Your posts read like shills."

I don't even like the Wiz. It's a terrible musical in my opinion. But I am excited for the broadcast because I love seeing live theatre. But I'm not invested enough to be a shill. I think that position goes to Teddy.

"you are coming off as a whiny teenager who cant handle other's opinion"

I wouldn't even say Bestbars is wrong in his opinions on The Wiz. But the guy routinely shamed anyone that wasn't positive about the Into The woods film a few months ago and now he is on the other side being a negative nancy about this project. Hypocritical.

Updated On: 11/3/15 at 11:53 AM

^^^ THIS. ALL OF THIS. GREAT ADVICE FOR "HAMILTON," WHO IS ACTUALLY NOT A NEW POSTER.

Sincerely,

Someone who is universally hated on here, accepts that, and learns to deal with it rather than complain like "Hamilton22" (BroadwayGuy)

"Sincerely,

Someone who is universally hated on here, accepts that, and learns to deal with it"

Oh, please keep talking about how Besty shamed everyone who disliked INTO THE WOODS.

It's not that we disagree with you, it's that you are so supremely wrong. And yes, for us board veterans it's hard to respect anyone (veteran or not) who prefers to discredit some of the most eloquent and interesting posts on this thread without actually engaging or attempting to put forth a well thought out retort.

I love when people are passionate about projects, including and especially upcoming projects, but that doesn't mean any of us can't (or shouldn't be allowed to) have negative reactions to the teaser material they have been releasing.

If you read my post again on this page, you'll see that I was commenting about the sanitized, lackluster backdrops used in the promo. I also said I hope they're only for the promo. I have no idea, and neither do you. But the fact is that the producers decided to use them to promote the TV special, and yes, that makes me wince a lot. Because they have no style or concept to them. They could have come from The Muppet Wizard of Oz (as Brick referenced) or a PBS kiddie special or a generic video game.

There is no overall cohesive visual look to anything I've seen so far, whether it ends up on the final broadcast or not. This is what they're showing us to get us to watch, and I find it disheartening and disappointing.

The more I see these images, the more I think "The Wiz" is not unlike "The Lion King," in that both stage productions largely succeeded due to the high concept and singular vision of their directors, Geoffrey Holder and Julie Taymor, respectively. Without those unique production values, you have a familiar story (in both cases) with some great songs ... but fairly straightforward in the storytelling. So if you strip away the "high concept" (whatever that might be), you aren't left with much innovation, other than the good songs.

I remember when I first cringed seeing the logo for this broadcast. It was busy, too candy-colored, almost like a balloon animal for a kiddie party, and looked pretty "immature" in its concept.

All I can say is that everything they have released since then has stayed true to form and given me the same impression.

It looks like they're making a sanitized, children's show, desperate to please a sanitized audience of children. "The Wiz" was a high-concept stage musical that worked for adults and children alike, with wild costumes, stylized set pieces, outrageous wigs, "modern" dialogue, eclectic choreography that ranged from urban to ballet, but all of it filtered through the singular vision of Geoffrey Holder.

I think I'm more disappointed because Cirque du Soleil is usually so strong in their vision and concept. I'm not seeing any of that here in the promo material.

My last holdout is that this TV cast will deliver strong performances and we'll get to hear the great score sung live.

And no, I'm not reviewing the show in advance, I'm critiquing everything I've seen so far. That's it. And as with all opinions, they are just like a$$@*()$ ... everyone has one. Including you.

Updated On: 11/3/15 at 02:30 PM

Besty, I know from the source, that the promos were thrown together with 2 day notice. The designers were asked for art work that just wasn't prepared. They threw thing together. Believe me the overall design of the show is pretty cohesive.

I recall seeing a few tweets from cast/crew/Zadan and Meron about them shooting this new promo just a few short days ago. Also, didn't Peter Pan and Sound of Music do something similar with their first few promos before actually using the full sets and costumes? I tried looking for some of the promos on YouTube but couldn't find any.

Hm my bad about mistaking the OBC for not the OBC! At least it's not the movie version though (might just be due to accessibility).

Are the red sneakers simply a pre-slippers nod to the MGM classic? Or is this going the route of Wicked and incorporating both footwear colors? Am I missing something?

I hope the emerald city ballet has choreography similar to this. And i hope it has the same pace: https://youtu.be/TXOwzaKuzDY