The Wiz Revival (1984 AND when will there be another?)

I would love to see a revival. It was in the works after The Wiz Live aired, but it obviously never happened further. I think Hailey Kilgore would be great, or they can do another nationwide casting call.

I've seen that bootleg and the quality is kind of incredible considering the age.

Jarethan said: "For me, the TV show a few years backconfirmed what I already felt: thatthe Wiz was of its time and is badly dated. There were quite a few seriously dead spots as well...for me the first half hour was lethal.

I doubt we will ever see a full-scale revival of the Wiz on Broadway again."

Please give some examples to support your statement about The Wiz being badly dated.

Ledaero said: "There is a Wiz Revival that is trying to be produced. It was developed at the MUNY a few years back, rewriting a lot of the book and rearranging the score to make the showwork better. I got to work on a production last summer at Music Circus that used many of the new arrangements and they are excellent. They were holding off on a Broadway transfer until William Brown passed so that they didn't have to be as concerned about royalties/rewrite concerns, and since he passed last summer I expect that the revival will go full speed ahead with trying to get to Broadway once everything reopens. We'll see what'll happen with the estates, but that's what I know."

Your comments give the impression William Brown didn't know about the changes. This article and others about the MUNY production say he knew. As for royalties, his estate would have something to say the matter. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Amber-Ruffin-to-Contribute-New-Material-for-The-Munys-THE-WIZ-20180514

Those tour tempos are insanely fast. An actor I was discussing it with once pointed out that it's a pretty long show with a lot of book, and a lot of music not on the album so it was probably always faster in the theatre than on the album, otherwise it would be nearly a 3-hour show. It makes sense, especially if the tempos gradually crept up over the years which I suspect they did. But yeah, it's crazy.

I thoroughly reject the notion that THE WIZ or many other shows are "dated" - they are of their era. I would so much rather see a WIZ that embraces what it is and does it as a '70s soul/Motown score. Use the "Shaft" wah-wah pedal wherever it's marked in the score. Don't modernize the grooves. Keep the riffing stylistic to the period. I did a production that way and the response was over-the-top terrific. People complimented the brilliant concept, which was to not change it but for some reason we've decided that when it's the '70s we have to "fix" it.

AEA AGMA SM said: "I admit that the one production I worked on (almost 20 years ago now) the director did a lot of (very likely unauthorized) cutting, so I didn't even see the whole script (we received ones that she had already edited). I do recall her saying that a lot of the jokes were very rooted in 70s humor (I specifically remember her mentioning a lot of psychiatrist/therapy jokes that she cut), and I've always assumed that when most people refer to the showing being dated it is the book and humor they are talking about. I don't think I've ever encountered anyone who thought the score itself was the part that needed to be updated to a more contemporary sound."

The Lion has a VERY extensive running joke about having a psychiatrist Owl.

A Director said: "Jarethan said: "For me, the TV show a few years backconfirmed what I already felt: thatthe Wiz was of its time and is badly dated. There were quite a few seriously dead spots as well...for me the first half hour was lethal.

I doubt we will ever see a full-scale revival of the Wiz on Broadway again."

Please give some examples to support your statement about The Wiz being badly dated.

Just get a copy of the book. It has so many corny jokes that are cringeworthy today.

Joshua Rosenthal said: "broadwayguy2 said: "AEA AGMA SM said: "I admit that the one production I worked on (almost 20 years ago now) the director did a lot of (very likely unauthorized) cutting, so I didn't even see the whole script (we received ones that she had already edited). I do recall her saying that a lot of the jokes were very rooted in 70s humor (I specifically remember her mentioning a lot of psychiatrist/therapy jokes that she cut), and I've always assumed that when most people refer to the showing being dated it is the book and humor they are talking about. I don't think I've ever encountered anyone who thought the score itself was the part that needed to be updated to a more contemporary sound."

The Lion has a VERY extensive running joke about having a psychiatrist Owl."

Yes! I was thinking this and was just About to say this too :). I played the Lion in my school’s production so I instantly recalled upon reading this, all of his jokes about the Owl and pills and stuff. Good times. Great role. Amazing show."

Even in the revised script for the NBC broadcast, the lion referenced his owl therapist. Tho only briefly

Your comments give the impression William Brown didn't know about the changes. This article and others about the MUNY production say he knew. As for royalties, his estate would have something to say the matter.https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Amber-Ruffin-to-Contribute-New-Material-for-The-Munys-THE-WIZ-20180514

It's not that William Brown didn't know about the changes, of course the got his permission and blessing. But the financial payout for royalties are very different between regional and Broadway, and that larger split was what was holding back the production. At least that is what I was told from a source on the creative team.