The Wiz Revival

[Jmoss7602]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 3:38pm

Anyone know what is going to with the show??? Are they still planning on taking it to Broadway in the Fall???

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 3:50pm

Last I heard, it doesn't look promising.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 3:51pm

Even though the search feature would have brought this to you quickly:

No. The LaJolla version is needing to do another workshop or two (Or just die, but that's me), before it will be ready, and the cast have all moved on to other projects. The Dutch revival has not made any mention of a transfer, and all rights are now available for it across the U.S.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 3:55pm

I really want to see a revival of this!

[Jmoss7602]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 4:07pm

I saw it in La Jolla and it was AMAZING!!! Sure wold like to see it make it to Broadway! Maby they wiill workshop it again in La Jolla so I can see it agian!!!!

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 4:33pm

Jmoss-
It'll go elsewhere.

Really, I hated almost everything they did. My personal feelings are, if they are reviving it, use Holder's ingenius original staging.

[Jmoss7602]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 4:39pm

I didnt like the original staging... the production in La Jolla was 100000000 X better .... in my opiinion. Did you actaully go see the La Jolla Production??

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 4:52pm

I saw the 1984? "revival" and it was fantastic. I also enjoyed the la jolla but i prefered the 1984 version. I didn't like how the la jolla took place in current times.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 5:09pm

I just wish someone would release a complete recording of the score. the OBC is disgustingly incomplete. too many songs just fade out. it's annoying. and the movie soundtrack leaves much to be desired as well.

[skingdom]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 5:32pm

I too saw it in La Jolla.

Calling it mediocre would be too much praise.

The cast however was pretty good.

Benjamin something or other was the tin man..

Ahh yes. Benjamin Washington...fantastic.

And Nikki James had a fantastic voice.

But the show dragged on and on and on.

No amount of technology could save it.

Des went about it the wrong way.

Skingdom out.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 6:02pm

While I was not privy to see it, a friend in the cast sent me the revised script, and the only moment I liked was the moment between Dorothy and The Wiz where she repeats his words about home after they unmask him.
When you take away the Tornado Ballet, the Yellow Brick Road dancers and the Emerald City Ballet, you loose very visual elements. The introduction of "Ease on Down the Road" at the beginning was pointless, and the addition of contemporary things "We're gonna vacation in the O.C.?" were distracting. Transforming Addapearle into a scatter brained idiot weakened her, and the reprises of the three friends songs fell flat.
However, worst of all was the disruption of "Home" by having Aunt Em and Uncle Henry come on at the end before she finishes singing. KILLED the emotional impact.
Des had in his hands a very potent property, that some updating could have really done well, however, I think he really screwed it up.

The original staging, what I have seen, what I have read about and what I have been told about was nothing short of a masterpiece. Admitedly, I did not see either production, being born in 86 kind of eliminates the original production, but I feel safe in my decisions about the La Jolla production.

[Crapgame13]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 6:17pm

what song is the Scarecrow singing. "I Was Born the Day Before Yesterday" or "You Can't Win"

I always thought the latter was superior

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 6:41pm

"Day Before Yesterday."

"You Can't Win" was written for the original production, to be sung by the Winkies at the start of Act 2, in place of No Bad News, however in the tumultuous out of town try-outs it was cut.

The song, while enjoyable, does not fit with the framework of the other characters songs. The three friends, versus singing an I Want song, sing an introduction song. In fact, "If I Could Feel" (for those who have only seen the film), is the final song in Act 1.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 7:30pm

Really, I hated almost everything they did. My personal feelings are, if they are reviving it, use Holder's ingenius original staging.


While I was not privy to see it, a friend in the cast sent me the revised script, and the only moment I liked was the moment between Dorothy and The Wiz where she repeats his words about home after they unmask him.

Then how the hell can you comment are on the staging of it!?

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 7:34pm

Melinda Doolittle.

Posted: 3/15/07 at 7:41pm

"I too saw it in La Jolla."

II hink it would be a good tour option for 08-09.

[Burning_Oasis]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 7:58pm

I saw it 4 times and I loved it.

I thought some parts were stronger than others, but overall it was a very entertaining show.

But looking back, I do think that another workshop and out-of-town tryout could benifit it greatly. I'd say cut down on some of the modern time refrences, give a little more character development to Evilene (Witch of the West, she was in the show for like, 15 minutes and when she died I was just kind of like "oh, okay."), and though it is a tecnology drivin show it was a little bit too much. All in all, I would say stop trying to make it a modern day specticle and find the heart of the show.

And Tornado Ballet and The the muisc wa changed. The Tornado and the Emerald City Ballet were actually the best visual and choreographed moments in the show. And "Home" was one of the most emotional parts in the show for me. Em and Henry coming out added to it.

Thats my opinion, though. I respect and see where you are coming from with your opinions, Husk, but you seem a little too critical for not having seen the show.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 8:35pm

Call me over-critical, however, I feel very very secure in my opinions even from having not seen either production. I would not cast down such a heavy hand if I did not know what I was talking about, I am not one of those posters.

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/15/07 at 10:05pm

Having seen the La Jolla production, I can say it was much better than most people give it credit for, but I'll also say that is really a testament to the quality of the original material. If it were to go beyond La Jolla, they would need to change some stuff. Specifically, most every "modern" reference seemed tacked on and stupid, save a few notable funny lines (Tinman: I need oil! Scarecrow: Who doesn't?!)(Wiz: Before I knew what was happening, I'd landed in Oz--and you won't find that on Mapquest). A lot of the other book work they did was nice. The opening scene was made much less awkward and many other scenes were fixed. There were still some unfunny jokes and sequences left in from the original that fell flat, but you just need an audience to feel all that stuff out. I would hope a further workshopped version would add in some more dance, especially the tornado sequence which has the potential for some impressive effects and an awesome sequence.

However, one thing the La Jolla production did that really let it shine was adapt the framework of the show to modern technology. With mics and amplification that weren't available in 1975, dialogue can be put in the middle of songs that really keep the show moving. There are also some wonderful arrangements that only build upon Wheeler's admittedly clunky if full-of-raw-heart originals (and they were mostly done by Wheeler himself!) including a fantastic melding of the two "If You Believe"s from the original (most would agree the Wiz's singing of the song was always rather contrived) that didn't get its due in the La Jolla production because of a sub-par singing performance. Be a Lion got a very effective face-lift (the audience went bezerk every night) but of course the original arrangement is still one of the best out there, so its neccessity could be argued. He's the Wiz, one of the most updated numbers, benefited from a wonderfully funky inner-city jazz arrangement. The numbers that will need serious work if the show is to go further are "Everybody Rejoice" (always awkward to get into.. it really shows Smalls didn't write this one.. the Dutch revival has a wonderful arrangement though) and "Slide Some Oil to Me" (the update just wasn't good). Also, "Home" needs a look-over as well. The original probably ought to be stuck to here. None of the re-dos for either revival have worked very well.

They also gonna need to re-cast that scarecrow. He was horrible. HORRIBLE.

However, it was a very enjoyable production, evident by the unstoppable energy of the audience. It needs a little work. The Dutch production (at least based on the cast recording) was also really nice with some short comings (a bizarrely lavish production and a few nasty arrangements, specifically If I Could Feel and If You Believe). Perhaps they should combine the two?

For those looking for a more complete recording--it's true! We do need a better cast recording. All we have are the wonderful but short original, the horribly mis-guided movie (which ironically is much too long) and the Dutch CD, which offers some music not found on the original, but still clocks in as a shorter recording. It's also in a not very pretty language. It's sad that the CD that features the most of the score is the karaoke CD!! Broadway needs a fabulous revival of this entertaining show and a great recording to go with it.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 1:14am

The only change made for the La Jolla production that I felt was just a total improvement was the reprise of "He's the Wiz" that replaced the "Emerald City Ballet" and the "Red/Green/Gold" sh*t from the movie. Neither were any good and the reprise, at least for me, just totally solved that issue.

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 1:23am

Keep in mind, of course, the the Emerald City Colors sequence from the movie was just that: from the movie. The stage version just has a dance sequence entitled The Emerald City (Shh!). It is nothing like the movie's music. It's neat sounding but probably a little long and unneeded.

[dented146]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 1:36am

sondhead, I couldn't agree with you more. The musical was much better received than most out of town people were lead to believe. It had it's faults but also some fine staging and well finished musical numbers.

Along that line, I was most impressed with If I Could Feel at the end of the first act. In my opinion it became one of the most powerful and beautiful numbers in the show. I even wondered if it could have received a verse of new lyrics to be reprised by the Wiz following Dorothy and her friends.

[gustof777]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 1:39am

i just want Nikki James on Broadway again!!

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 1:44am

"Along that line, I was most impressed with If I Could Feel at the end of the first act. In my opinion it became one of the most powerful and beautiful numbers in the show. I even wondered if it could have received a verse of new lyrics to be reprised by the Wiz following Dorothy and her friends."

Yes, I forgot to mention that. When I first realized they'd added the other friends into it, I cringed with memories of the Into the Woods revival's revised finale to "On the Steps of the Palace", but it was actually quite nice! It was great to hear from the other characters and the arrangement in general was wonderful, especially compared to the Dutch rendition, which had it sounding like a mid-90's angsty pop ballad.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 8:35am

Again, pipping (sp?) in to disagree.

The "Emerald City Ballet", is similar to the "Ascot Gavotte" however it uses attitude and dance to set it's tone vs lyrics and attitude. The Emerald City is a very posh, upscale location where Dorothy and company do not fit. That said the "Green/Red/Gold" (while poorly concieved) does something similar. With the repries of "He's the Wiz" it becomes more of an MGM kind of Emerald City.

I feel the same way about the introduction of Dorothy and Co. to "If I Could Feel" like I do about the additions to "On the Steps of the Palace." (The addition of Dorothy to "Feeling We Once Had" irks me too).

I think one thing that was lost in the contemporization is that the show IS a period piece. It is about African-Americans at that time period, which La Jolla removed. The show was concieved to reflect Black glamour and stylishness, and if my perception of how it was recieved, and what it did, it was something for African-Americans to be proud of, it was their culture the way it was. When you strip all that away, like La Jolla did, you are left with the shows weaknesses, overblown technology and some fun gimmicks.

Maybe that's me. And, I could be way off my mark on my perception of the show, but, again, what I've talked to people about has lead me to my conclusions.