The Wiz - Cast Recording- Page 2

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 1:55pm

Illegal to do The Wiz in blackface? No. Just in incredibly bad taste.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 1:58pm

Or did he mean to use the Karaoke CD?

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:00pm

Okay, I just heard Theresa Merritt singing "Feeling..." and it sounds great.
Now I have to buy the stupid soundtrack? Crap!
I assume it is cut for tv, since I never saw it?

[dreamboy2004]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:27pm

I perfer the soundtrack over the obc. One major reason being I'm a huge Diana Ross fan ,but also because Rejouce is much better on the soundtrack than the obc. Also the orchestration of thhe Emarld City Seqeunce is musical heaven. Plus the legendary Lena Horne plays Glinda.Her version of If You Believe always makes me cry.

[Marquise]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:32pm

I like both for very different reasons. The movie version may have left a lot to be desired but I believe musically they went in the right direction with the material and it comes through in the recording. Quincy Jones spared no expense in preserving this score for future generations. I can't say the same for the film itself, it isn't one of my favorites.

"Everybody Rejoice (A Brand New Day)" is one of the many highlights on the soundtrack and was written by the one and only Luther Vandross.

I own both recordings.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 2:38pm

okay, I am going to listen to the OBC on the train thanks to this thread...

Luther Vandross? I dont think so. Charlie Smalls wrote the whole score, no?
Did he write anything else?

[CastAlbumFan]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 3:42pm

It is well documented that Luther Vandross most certainly did compose "Everyboy Rejoice" for the Broadway production of THE WIZ.

I prefer the OBCR of THE WIZ compared to the movie soundtrack. I HATED the movie! It was way too depressing...and this was before I ever heard the OCR!

[dreamboy2004]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 5:03pm

I would like to second that it is a fact Luther Vandross wrote Everbody Rejoice(A Brand New Day).

[joeybiltmore1]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 5:26pm

During the late 70's "Brand New Day" was used in a soap commercial that ran frequently on TV.

[BwayLeadman]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 5:35pm

YES, YES, YES, YES. GET THIS RECORDING!!!!!!

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 7/22/05 at 6:12pm

I'm not a fan of the movie. My friend's dad saw the original broadway production, and said the movie ruined it. Thank you all very much for the information and reviews!

[idinarocksmysocks!510]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 3:41pm

I like, though I'm partial to the musical. I did this show when I was in sixth grade. I played Dorothy. We live in the suberbs so it was interesting casting. But I like the music.

Updated On: 8/22/05 at 03:41 PM

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:48pm

A little off topic, but for those of you who saw the OBC, how did they do the tornado?

[CastAlbumFan]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 5:20pm

Dancers.

[pab]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 5:33pm

The tornado was brilliant! There was a single female dancer wearing this head piece and all of a sudden this black cloth started to come out of it and continued flowing for quite some time. It created waves of cloth throughout the stage that fluttered to give a tornado effect. It was done quite well and was really something to see. I have really good memories of that show.

[Unmasked05]

Posted: 9/11/05 at 1:42am

So the picture of the lady on the cover of the OBCR is the tornado......COOL......I saw the 1997 National Tour version...but the tornado was nothing like you described...yous sounds much better, that means the version I saw was "watered" down.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/11/05 at 10:08am

I saw the first national tour back in the '70s, and the tornado was done the same way (a long black cloth extending from a female dancer's head), while other dancers moved around her carrying (what looked to be) chimney sweep brooms (fanning out at the top, etc.). They turned the small house around in circles as they changed the set to Munchkinland. It was nearly 30 years ago! And I still remember it vividly. Very effective. Geoffrey Holder's directorial staging was amazing throughout the entire show. The yellow brick road was represented by four hugely-tall male dancers with yellow afros, yellow-bricked tail coats, and long yellow staffs. It was all very stylized, but it worked!

In addition to the cut tracks mentioned previously, I also miss the Emerald City dance number from the Broadway show called "Pssst." It was a heavily disco-ized fashion show when Dorothy and her friends first arrive. Everyone paraded around in their haute couture costumes, speculating on who the 4 new arrivals were. Very cool. I wish more music had been put on the OBCR.

Updated On: 9/11/05 at 10:08 AM

[show2n2]

Posted: 9/11/05 at 11:11am

Gr8 CD and Musical I agree With JoeyBiltmore on his comments.

Go buy it. :)

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 9/11/05 at 11:18am

Good time to bump the thread. I just got the cd yesturday, haven't listened to it yet, will post a review after I listen to it fully. I'm not a fan of the movie, and was told by someone who saw the obc and movie, the show is soo much better.