The WIZ LIVE : post your comments and thoughts live during the show here — Page 9

The original Broadway production is etched in my mind forever but, I thought tonight's revival on NBC was highly enjoyable. David Alan Grier was a soulful and hilarious Lion, I had no idea he could sing like that. Ne-Yo was a solid Tinman and brought great heart to his songs particularly "If I Could Feel". Stephanie Mills can still bring it and her chill inducing "The Feeling We Once Had" was a passionate prelude to the rollicking night ahead.

Shanice has an excellent voice but, I found her limited acting skills irritating as she either scowled or smiled throughout the show. The sets and costumes were imaginative, colorful and filled the picture with pizzazz. Mary J. Blige gave a powerhouse performance as Evilene.

It's a shame they cut "I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday", that is one of my all-time favorite tunes and belongs in the show. The additional songs that were added were quite good. The camera work work improved during some of the later production numbers like "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News" and "Everybody Rejoice", but, too often favored close-ups over wide shots.

Overall it was a thoroughly entertaining revival of The Wiz and I applaud NBC for putting together a top-notch show that lifted us from our sofas to the center mezz for a couple of hours. Magic.

Updated On: 12/4/15 at 12:05 AM

Third time's the charm, I guess.

Aida Revival said: "The problem with these live musicals is that there is no audience reaction. That is why there is no energy! They are doing a musical meant for the stage live in front of cameras.

"

There were times that I really missed hearing applause. I felt like it needed to be there.

They really need to tape these musicals instead of doing them live. I really hope producers stop casting Mary J. Blige in musicals. So over it!

silent said: " I really hope producers stop casting Mary J. Blige in musicals. So over it!"

You may not get your wish, as she's getting very strong reviews!

^Get off your high horse. Someone mentioned it on page 6, and no one cared.

I saw The Wiz years ago on tour. The production had tons of energy and was lots of fun. Tonight's production was BORING! Stephanie Mills was wonderful. Shanice Williams has a few good moments. Common was wooden. Mary J, Blige was awful and couldn't act her way out of wet paper bag. Queen Latifah can't sing and her acting was sub-par. Uzo Aduba brought some long needed energy and class plus her singing was great.

The script was a mess. The book was never the strong point of the show, but at least it had wit, sass, and an urban feel. Harvey's turned it into Wonder Bread.

The choreographer had two or three moves and repeated them over and over.

The sets and costumes were awful.

The best part of the night was reading that some in the Twitter World were upset because there was an all black cast and called the show PC. Another example of stupid.

silent said: "They really need to tape these musicals instead of doing them live. I really hope producers stop casting Mary J. Blige in musicals. So over it!

"

Zadan and Meron's taped musicals were not doing so well near the end (I think Gypsy was the first and it was something of a surprise ratings smash). I think right now, rightly or wrongly, the networks feel the LIVE gimmick is a big part of the appeal. I suppose it does tap more into the tweeting people anyway?

Overall I was underwhelmed, but I didn't dislike it....although I did fall asleep, missing the 2nd half...so I will re-watch this weekend.

My initial thoughts on the positive: costumes, characterization, voices

Negative: sets, choreo and energy.

Roscoe said: "A pretty dreadful production all round, ineptly acted and with an all-too evident lack of camera rehearsals. It looked like the TV director had never seen the production before, had NO IDEA what was going to be happening on that stage. And what was happening on that stage was all too often stupidly directed. Check out "Mean Old Lion" for instance -- the Lion is singing to the camera while the other three characters are just kind of wandering around in the background, why didn't they just take a couple of steps in any direction and get away from that guy?

For a change, the female lead was the least of the show's problems.

Fierstein's book was agonizingly unfunny, dated jokes and unnecessary additions to the backstories didn't add any dimension to the story at all.

And if nothing else -- Dorothy only clicked her heels twice. I mean really.

The Sidney Lumet film is a masterpiece of taste and intelligence in comparison with this production -- and it certainly had better performances from its supporting cast.

And I'm noticing a near total silence online about this. What if they did THE WIZ and nobody watched?

"Nobody watched The Wiz, nobody watched The Wiz."

Dorothy clicked her heels three times, the camera only zoomed in two of them, but she clicked them three times.

Its strength was its humility, daring to look merely theatrical, to resort to simplicity and low-tech effects, fire pots and stage smoke poignantly old-fashioned in the best sense. Somehow, aiming smaller and maybe even lower made it more accessible and intimate. Gone was the bloated scenic excess and sound studio roominess. The performances were front and center. Beyond that, the show itself still lacks a great deal, including a first-rate score (Luther Vandross, we so owe you for eleven o'clock). It meanders when it should derive, and inserts pockets of stated feeling (and now an odd Dorothy backstory, that felt Into the Woodsy) rather than slowly earning our investment. Other than in the opening scene, to me the highlight of the whole thing, people announce emotions rather than demonstrate them. Keeping things scaled down and somewhere between variety show and filmed production worked. Midway I realized what a garish, trippy nightmare it could've been, had it looked anything like "Peter Pan." We should be grateful for what it didn't do.

Updated On: 12/4/15 at 06:40 AM