THE WIZ: 2015 NBC LIVE MUSICAL — Page 44

New promo: https://youtu.be/reFq3L0XKPQ

Updated On: 11/19/15 at 02:44 PM

maxkko said: "Yikes. The set looks very lackluster to me. It seems to me that it will be staged on a proscenium type stage. You can see tape marks on the ground, and you can tell that the poppies track on and off. I guess they are going a different route this year."

When I saw that, I kept in mind that this television production/revival is aimed for a Broadway production - if it still is - and that it's essentially what would be presented in a Broadway theatre. Maybe it's more of a theatrical staging than what we saw with Peter Pan (going in and out of rooms, hallways, etc) which I'm not used to; I never saw the previous Peter Pan telecasts. And Sound of Music was close to that, especially when we saw segments during the "Making Of" documentary that aired before the live telecast.

This looks more and more like less and less.

That costume looks terrible. I'm still ticked off that she was cast in this musical.

I love Evillene's costume!

She looks like an S&M dominatrix. Pair her up with the half naked dancers from the movie and we have a pretty good shot at some porn.

At this point I am more looking forward to THE DOOPLES IN THE LAND OF DOO than I am this.

What's with the "sexy" Wicked Witch of the West? It's not a bad costume at all, just why make that "glam" choice for the character? She's a wicked witch.

This all seems like the GLEE version of "The Wiz," instead of "The Wiz."

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What's with the "sexy" Wicked Witch of the West? It's not a bad costume at all, just why make that "glam" choice for the character? She's a wicked witch.

This all seems like the GLEE version of "The Wiz," instead of "The Wiz."

Exactly! They look very expensive to me, but have nothing to do with the characters or the story. The biggest misstep to me is Dorothy. She looks like a sassy urban teen headed for the mall. And glam-inatrix Eveline is a misfire too.

Ugh.

I want my money back. And I didn't even pay.

I want my Wiz back.

Holder knew this and his designs were sharp and to the point.

"Holder knew this and his designs were sharp and to the point."

Where's my "like" button?

They defined each character at a glance. A sweet innocent girl from Kansas, the three witches: Adaperle, sort of a patchwork bag lady (earthy and warm) in her blue tones that represent Munchkinland; Glinda, long and sleek and glamorous in pinks and reds and browns (representing the Quadlings of the South); Evilene, grotesque and miserable and dark and surreal (she had blinking eyes on her breasts) ... and all of them with those branch-like hairdos, as if they had each grown right out of the ground. The Scarecrow wore a simple, common, worn tweed jacket and beret, as if they had been handed down for the last time before being used in a field to scare crows, the Tin Man was made of a garbage can, old pots, steel wool for hair, which gave him an "old soul" look, and the Lion with his huge afro main and wild makeup.

And of course costumes for the Yellow Brick Road and the Tornado, and Glinda's servants, and Evilene's slaves, and the poppies and the field mice and the Kalidahs ... the latter two straight from the Baum novel.

This looks like everyone's in it for themselves instead of the story. The creative team isn't doing the actors or the material any favors here by "showing off" how much money they can spend on a costume, especially when it's misguided and uninspired. The sets look like a video game for The Muppet Wizard of Oz, and the music sounds like the intro/exit backgrounds for Dancing With the Stars.

This ain't no "Wiz."

And no, I haven't seen any of them in a scene or song from the show (except for that mess of a glimpse of "Brand New Day" with sassy Dorothy and a bunch of dancing candy-corn behind her). There is just way too much against this (lack of) concept so far to make me care about the characters or the story we all know and love. I'm sure I will watch, since I've already accepted an invitation to a screening party (weeks ago) and don't want to let my friend down. But this production has already let me down. WAY too many egos showing off, and nobody serving the story or the concept of "The Wiz."

The Tin man also had a Milller and Bud Lite as legs can as well as a NY license plate as an arm. There was a simple brilliant whimsy to the designs befitting Baums work.