THE WIZ: 2015 NBC LIVE MUSICAL- Page 9

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/24/15 at 8:04pm

Read that article earlier. It says that Hinton Battle was cast as the Wiz.Andre DeSheilds played The Wiz on Broadway. So either that is an error or he changed roles.

Such an interesting article and I remember how Ease on Down The Road became a hit. A 45 version of the song was released before the cast album came out. And if I am not mistaken, it was not the cast on the 45. It was the version that was played on the radio. We played that song to death.

I remember the woman who owned the beauty shop on the corner of my block getting a bus trip together to go see it and it sold out in a day. I was on that bus!

[Replacement Cast]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 2:08pm

I wish the press would stop referring to that god-awful movie version of The Wiz.  The original Broadway production was amazing in so many ways, unlike the ego-driven trash of a movie version.  At least no one from the movie will be involved with the television presentation -- I think Diane is the only one still around from the movie and her talent (unfortunately) has turned into a train wreck.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:22pm

"I wish the press would stop referring to that god-awful movie version of The Wiz."

Me too. I HATED the movie and thought THE WIZ was just a terrible property till I actually saw the stage version and was blown away by how great it was.

I know the film is very popular and has many fans but form what they've said the TV special will be more in line with the stage show (like THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE I suppose) so they should advertise the difference. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:22pm

My first ever double post!

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 05:22 PM

[Replacement Cast]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:48pm

"My first ever double post!"

 ^

Was it good for you?!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:52pm

 

uncageg, The version of "Ease On Down The Road" that was released as a 45 and played on the radio to promote the show was recorded by a group known as Consumer Rapport. 

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 05:52 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:54pm

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 5:55pm

[musicaltheatreman2]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 6:46pm

So Bandy wants to play Dorothy. i think she would be good and can pass for 18! What do you guys think?

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/attention-nbc-i-just-feel-like-im-next-in-line-says-brandy-on-her-dream-to-be-dorothy-in-the-wiz-350507

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 6:58pm

She'd be great!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 8:04pm

No she would not! She is 36 years old!!! Dorothy in THE WIZ is a YOUNG GIRL and no, Brandy Norwood canNOT pass for 18...let alone a young girl like Dorothy in THE WIZ. 

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 11:11pm

Brandy Norwood cannot pass for 18, nor would I imagine that they'd ever consider her for Dorothy. I do enjoy her logic, though. She seems to be under the impression that being the 836th replacement for Roxie somehow means this is her "next step."

She really should be campaigning to play Nettie in The Color Purple revival if she wants another stage role. 

Updated On: 6/3/15 at 11:11 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 11:18pm

She seems really passionate about theater. Nettie is probably a great idea. 

[musicaltheatreman2]

Posted: 6/3/15 at 11:57pm

If Anika Noi Rose can pass as a young girl in Caroline or Change and a teenager in the Dream Girls movie, then Brandy certainly can pass as teenager!They almost the same age! 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 12:08am

Brandy is currently two years older than Diana Ross was when she was too old to play the part.  It's not going to solve any of the problems that people have with the film version if they just begin repeating the same mistakes.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 6:42am

Dorothy isn't a teenager. She's a young girl. The casting calls for an actress who is over 18 who obviously looks younger because they producers do not want to deal with child labor laws. Stephanie Mills was 18 when she did the role on Broadway and she looked younger.  The fact that she is 4'9" also helped.

With that being said, the producers have already stated they are searching for a newcomer for the role. I don't see any producer in his right mind casting Brandy Norwood in this live televised version or the upcoming Broadway revival because she is simply too old for the part. In the show the character of Dorothy IS NOT a 23 year old school teacher from Harlem. That change was implemented to accommodate the casting of Diana Ross in the film version. In the original Broadway version of the show Dorothy is a young girl living with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a farm in Kansas. There is no Harlem, New York City is not a substitute/metaphor for The Land of Oz and Dorothy does not get whisked away to Oz by a snow storm but by a tornado...just like in the original story.

But of course some on this board will not take the time to read this and continue to come up with age inappropriate actresses who they think should play the role.

 

Updated On: 6/4/15 at 06:42 AM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 8:44am

Only thing I like about the film is the orchestrations and vocal arrangements (when it doesn't pertain to Ms. Ross, that is). Quincy Jones fancied up nicely what sounds like a pretty dull score on the record.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it had vitality in the theater, I'm sure it had power, but to me, none of that comes across in the recording except for the solo performances. The ensemble vocals in particular (except for maybe "The Feeling We Once Had") just sap the life out of me every time I hear them.

Seriously. Compare "Everybody Rejoice" (or "Brand New Day," if you like) between the movie and the Broadway recording. No comparison whatsoever; the movie's got life, and the recording sounds like dishwater at a church retreat.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 9:22am

Quincy Jones fancied up nicely what sounds like a pretty dull score on the record.

I don't know about anyone else but I'd strongly beg to differ about the Original Cast Recording. I think it sounds perfectly fine... not dull. 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 11:18am

"Quincy Jones fancied up nicely what sounds like a pretty dull score on the record.
I don't know about anyone else but I'd strongly beg to differ about the Original Cast Recording. I think it sounds perfectly fine... not dull. "

I do like the OBC very much and aside from "Home" my favorite track on the album is the "Tornado" number which is completely instrumental and very funky. 

I am a big fan of what Quincy Jones did with the score. The orchestrations and vocal arrangements are top notch and first class all-the-way. In my opinion it is easily one of the best movie musical soundtracks ever produced. If you take a look at the liner notes the list of musicians and background vocalists who lent their talents to the project will simply blow your mind away: David Foster, Cissy Houston, Gwen Guthrie, Luther Vandross, Patti Austin, Ron Dante, Tom Bahler and Roberta Flack are just some of the performers that can be heard on the soundtrack.

If anything great came out of the 1978 film version I would say it was most definitely that soundtrack.

Diana Ross and Michael Jackson's single version of "Ease on Down The Road" was a hit and went on to win a Grammy Award.

 

Updated On: 6/4/15 at 11:18 AM

[Replacement Cast]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 12:27pm

"Dorothy isn't a teenager. She's a young girl. The casting calls for an actress who is over 18 who obviously looks younger because they producers do not want to deal with child labor laws. Stephanie Mills was 18 when she did the role on Broadway and she looked younger.  The fact that she is 4'9" also helped.
With that being said, the producers have already stated they are searching for a newcomer for the role. I don't see any producer in his right mind casting Brandy Norwood in this live televised version or the upcoming Broadway revival because she is simply too old for the part. In the show the character of Dorothy IS NOT a 23 year old school teacher from Harlem. That change was implemented to accommodate the casting of Diana Ross in the film version. In the original Broadway version of the show Dorothy is a young girl living with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a farm in Kansas. There is no Harlem, New York City is not a substitute/metaphor for The Land of Oz and Dorothy does not get whisked away to Oz by a snow storm but by a tornado...just like in the original story.
But of course some on this board will not take the time to read this and continue to come up with age inappropriate actresses who they think should play the role.
 "

 Thank you!  I read the Brandy story and she only talks about the 1978 movie.  I'm sure she has no clue that the musical is nothing near the 1978 movie.  Changing the iconic story (The Wizard of Oz book, 1939 film, 1975 musical) to fit a then middle aged singer with industry power was just wrong.

As stated in the quoted post "In the show the character of Dorothy IS NOT a 23 year old school teacher from Harlem. That change was implemented to accommodate the casting of Diana Ross in the film version. In the original Broadway version of the show Dorothy is a young girl living with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a farm in Kansas. There is no Harlem, New York City is not a substitute/metaphor for The Land of Oz and Dorothy does not get whisked away to Oz by a snow storm but by a tornado...just like in the original story."

Agreed!

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 2:37pm

"I don't know about anyone else but I'd strongly beg to differ about the Original Cast Recording. I think it sounds perfectly fine... not dull. "

Maybe that's what happens when one is comparing a thin-sounding cast recording to something that had more money and more oomph like a movie soundtrack. It could be for a variety of reasons. It's an opinion; you don't have to agree with me.

For what it's worth, I also love the "Tornado" number and am a huge fan of "I Was Born On The Day Before Yesterday." The latter is a terrific approximation of Otis Redding's sound on "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" that one would likely have trouble pulling off today without it sounding plastic.

Updated On: 6/4/15 at 02:37 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 3:41pm

I love the original score but I will agree that the OBC recording is actually somewhat lifeless to a first listener. When I had only heard the album I was unimpressed, only when I revisited it after having seen the show did I really get into it.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 6:38pm

The cast album is awful. The cast and their vocal performances are wonderful but a large majority of the score went unrecorded and I believe it's 8 of the 17 tracks don't even contain the full songs as they were performed on stage. They just fade out at the end. That's part of what makes the album so lifeless because all the buttons to the ends of songs are missing. It may have been a great keepsake at the time but it's difficult for listeners today to get a sense of what the show was like when they didn't even bother to record the songs the way that they performed them in the show.

Having said that, a lot of the songs that did go unrecorded ended up being cut from the movie anyway as well as subsequent revivals. "The Emerald City Ballet" while not technically a song was replaced with that green/red/gold song in the movie and replaced with a simple reprise of "He's the Wizard" the one and only time I saw the show at the La Jolla Playhouse. Since Harvey is rewriting the book I'm assuming we'll be getting something completely new this time around as well and I can't say I'm optimistic given how poorly the new material in Peter Pan was received.

 

[Broadwaywest]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 7:39pm

Audra McDonald ‏@AudraEqualityMc  2h2 hours ago

I'm a witch. A good witch..but I'm a witch.

 

 

A hint?....

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 6/4/15 at 8:08pm

When is the revival supposed to come to Broadway?