The Wiz back on Broadway?

I sure hope this show makes it to New York. I've been a fan of the music for years, but have never seen a full production.

From those who have, is it as good as it sounds?

I love the music!

-QB

The podcast from the SHN/Best of Broadway SF website also mentions it as "pre-Broadway"

i thought it was trying for a bigger theatre. have they changed their direction and made it smaller?

It is now under the direction of Des Mcanuff of Jersey boys and now being presented with a multi-racial cast.

Is Des still in charge of the production up in San Fransisco?

would love to see it back on broadway!

Personally, I think the multi-racial casting isn't a good idea, "The Wiz" is too inherrently African-American. And, after seeing the clip, it doesn't look that, exciting. There wasn't any amazing scene changes, just a hole that seems to vomit out set pieces, and in the original, The Wiz appeared almost by magic on a tounge with smoke and flashpots going up...so a giant pea pod that spits out Don King seems...anticlimatic to me.

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The original plan for The Wiz was for Des to direct it straight to Broadway without doing it at the La Jolla Playhouse first. The whole concept of the set was made (and designed) for the Al Hirschfeld theatre. The next idea was for it to play the La Jolla Playhouse and develop it there and then send it to Broadway (the theatre they wanted was the St. James). Well after the cast moved on to different projects and with Des leaving the playhouse and a new artistic director coming in, the playhouse isn't ready to send it to Broadway and Des still wanted to work with it once more before sending it. So the current plan is for Des to try it out in San Fransisco and then EVENTUALLY it will be sent to Broadway. As of now it is doubtful that it will make it to Broadway next season, the current speculation at the Playhouse is that it will be aiming for Fall 2008. And I am not sure where the rumor started about Circle In The Square, but that is not a theatre that they are currently looking at. It was talked about and the idea was thrown out there for about 0.5 seconds.

"Don't let a little video deceive you. It was definitely an impressive production, and San Diego audiences were loving it. "

Not true at all. Audiences were giving it a lukewarm reception at best. Hopefully they have gone back to the drawing board.

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If you cant make it into two hours of eye candy, then you've completely missed the point to begin with.

Are you kidding?

The whole Playhouse Production was Eye Candy for two hours and that is what completely missed the point. The show requires much much more than two hours of 'eye-candy'. And I don't know what Wiz you saw but the one I saw was not shallow at all.

"Not true at all. Audiences were giving it a lukewarm reception at best. Hopefully they have gone back to the drawing board."

Not any of the evenings I saw it...


But I agree. They have places to go. An excited audience in La Jolla is NOT an excited audience in New York. My praise of the production is given the fact that it was the first draft. I felt the same way about Sister Act. Had I seen it in New York, I would have thought it was horrible, but for a first production in Pasadena, it showed promise! Legally Blonde is playing New York like a first workshop production... too bad they didn't keep working on it before bringing it to Broadway...

I agree with the above poster--take out the "pop culture" references. Every time any show does that it just comes off as stupid and tacked on, if you ask me. Even Legally Blonde's pop culture bits came off this way. There is a way to do it naturally, but not many people are achieving that!!

Has anyone thought of this?

If The Wiz in fact does replace Spelling Bee at Circle in the Square, it would be playing right next door to WICKED? I don't know, that may be OZian overkill.