The Wiz returning to Bway in 2023 after National Tour — Page 10

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Saw this in Pittsburgh this past weekend, and sad to say that this production is going to be absolutely *crucified* by Broadway critics if it moves in its current state. That said, I still had a great time. The show and score are as infectious as ever, and it has truly never been sung better than by this cast.

The good:

Nichelle Lewis is a real find, and her vocals were insane. She needs to grow into the acting a bit more, but I bet she settles in well before it comes to New York.

Melody A. Betts completely brought the house down with both "The Feeling We Once Had" and "No Bad News"...the latter got the biggest reaction of the afternoon, along with "Be A Lion". She is the strongest actor in the company and feels very seasoned as compared to the rest.

Phillip Johnson Richardson is an incredible Tinman, a true triple threat. He was easily my favorite of Dorothy's friends. "What Would I Do If I Could Feel?" was a real showstopper.

Kyle Ramar Freeman is an appropriately flouncy and big-voiced Lion. Some of the Lion's new jokes are very funny.

Alan Mingo Jr. is a sly and well-sung Wiz. He felt a little RuPaul, which was rather appropriate. "Y'all Got It!" was cute and well staged.

The OK:

Deborah Cox has VERY lovely vocal moments but it's clear the team has no interest in (or rather, a palpable fear of) giving her any more than ten lines to speak. It's very odd to watch Addaperle (a lovely Allyson Kaye Daniel in what is now a featured ensemble position) lead both the scene that goes into "He's the Wiz" and the scene that goes into "Believe in Yourself" but not actually sing the songs. The scene that goes into "Believe in Yourself" needs a rewrite to tie the song into the stakes of the moment. And overall, as lovely as Allyson Kaye Daniel is, they need to try to trust Deborah to lead those scenes. Otherwise it just feels weird.

Avery Wilson is an amazing singer and dancer, but some of his scene work really needs improvement. It felt very presentational.

Amber Ruffin's new book is much smarter and a definite improvement in many ways, but it's a little overwritten, and honestly - this cast is full of singers and dancers above actors - some scenes were absolutely painful. And even if they weren't painful, they were all mostly VERY long. She needs to trim the fat so we can get to what works the best faster - the incredible score. the show does not move at a consistent rhythm, and there are odd choices to include old songs that halt the momentum like a dropped anvil (like "Wonder Wonder Why") that were cut initially for a reason.

The choreography works occasionally (the Emerald City sequence is awesome, as is the choreo in "You Can't Win" and many other character-specific songs), and other times, you're like...what is happening? ("Poppies", "Everybody Rejoice"). Same with the costumes. Some look opulent (the principals all look great) and others cheap (manyensemble looks are very unfinished).

the bad:

The sets are very, very cheap looking. "Built to tour" is one thing, but I just saw the tour of COMPANY, also a lower tier tour, and it looked classy and expensive. This, at times, looks like a high school set from up close. Evilene's tower looks very cheap from both sides, as does the Wiz's stage and throne, and they are among the largest set pieces. the projections are actually the best parts of the design.

So, this needs work. I hope when Wayne Brady comes in to rehearse they take the time to spruce things up a bit. All negative things aside, I really did have fun, and hope to catch it again before it moves to Broadway.

ACL2006 said: "FYI, Alan Mingo Jr. will be Brady's standby for Broadway."



I was literally just wondering about this, thank you! I didn't get a chance to see him on tour but I did want a chance to possibly see him on Broadway.

Looking at tickets for this in Chicago and I'm surprised how well it's sold. Most of the out of town tryouts have been pretty easy tickets to get, but this seems to be selling pretty darn well.

Surprised at this point there's been no press with Wayne Brady. Is he even rehearsing the role yet?

I was trying to see it here in Chicago but it is selling out and the resale tickets have been insanely priced. Hope that bodes well for their Broadway run.

The only thing I knew about this show was it was a “black version of The Wizard of Oz”. Saw it tonight in Tempe, AZ and loved it. There is some serious talent on that stage. Dorothy (she’s only 24????) was amazing. I left with a smile and a search for the songs on Spotify.

Has anyone seen Wayne Brady in the show yet? And is it confirmed that Alan Mingo Jr. is his standby?

Y'all, I just saw this in San Francisco this past weekend. I was so excited and wish I could post raves. It's just sort of a mess. There are certainly a few standouts...Kyle Freeman, Phillip Richardson, Melody Betts and Wayne Brady were all wonderful. I don't think the rest of this cast could act their way out of a wet paper bag. I've also been reading a lot about how great the choreography was. It is VERY clear that JaQuel Knight has great vision for film but can't quit capitalize on using the stage. You could see his ideas and if he was able to bring them to fruition it could have turned out wonderfully. He just doesn't get there. You could put a cardboard cut out of Nichelle Lewis on stage and get more emotion and stage presence from it than what she's currently giving. Granted, her voice is good but she has no urgency to get home, no chemistry with her traveling companions and there is no reason to root for her. Lastly, if I were in OZ and Avery Wilson asked me to take him down from his Scarecrow post I not only would have said no, but I'd have tied it extra tight so nobody would have to go through a journey with him.

Can someone who has seen the show clarify for me - is Adderperle even a named character anymore? I understand from prior posts that Allyson Kaye Daniel has Adderperle's lines, and Glinda now sings "He's the Wizard." But on the website, Daniel is just listed as "Ensemble." Do they even refer to her as Adderperle in the show? What purpose does her character serve if Glinda is now in the scene and sings the song?

Rentaholic2 said: "Can someone who has seen the show clarify for me - is Adderperle even a named character anymore? I understand from prior posts that Allyson Kaye Daniel has Adderperle's lines, and Glinda now sings "He's the Wizard." But on the website, Daniel is just listed as "Ensemble." Do they even refer to her as Adderperle in the show? What purpose does her character serve if Glinda is now in the scene and sings the song?"

She's a named character and she is very much functionally serves the same purpose that she did originally, it's just that when it comes time to sing the song, she basically goes "I don't know how to get you home, but I know who would" and introduces Glinda. She also comes back at the end to tell Dorothy . Functionally, she's just as much Glinda's sister/sidekick as she was before, just with a bit of a reduced vocal role.

It feels....well, honestly it feels like they could have just cut her role and combined the two characters, but Glinda is a little too "regal" for the jokes Addapearl delivers (or, genuinely, maybe Deborah Cox couldn't handle/didn't want to handle a bunch of dialogue) Daniels, who is in the ensemble the rest of the show and covers Aunt Em/Eviline, is a delight with what she has to do. And Cox does sing the absolute hell out of "he's the wiz." So...c'est la vie?

MiserablyWicked1 said: "Saw it in SF on Friday.1st act is a little slow at times but really enjoyed. Dorothy is amazing and will be a big star.

Loved the Lion and Wiz, though it is a smaller role.Tin Man has great song in 2nd half. 2nd act is amazing. Worth seeing. don't know how it will do on Broadway but at least a 6 month run."



Well it was only ever supposed to be a limited run anyway.