rOcKS @ 'The Wiz'

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:31pm

In my opinion, those who are saying this production is bland are being far too nice. It's a complete and utter mess. Structurally, THE WIZ has always been problematic, particularly in its amateurish and pedestrian book and the current production running at City Center's Mainstage does the material no favors. The word I kept thinking of during the show was "messy." It just all feels and, more importantly, looks messy.

Thomas Kail's direction is all over the place; there are brief moments of inventiveness but these are fleeting and should be cherished. The majority of his work here is really complicated-looking, and not in a good way. This could also be due to Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography which I found to be completely underwhelming and second-rate at best compared to his past works. The direction and choreography are both messy and involve lots of movement which just causes a major headache; you don't know where to look.

The orchestra sounds fantastic but I had problems with the sound; for 80% of the first act, I could barely hear the singers above the orchestra. Either they need to turn the mics on the cast members up or tell the orchestra to tone it down; I think it's the former of the two.

This cast really is beyond bland. I do give Ashanti major props for having the guts to take on live theater and I respect her for doing a limited engagement like THE WIZ instead of jumping into an open-ended run of a Broadway show and maybe not being able to cut it doing 8 shows a week for God knows how long. But she needs a lot of work; she actually got laughs on a line that wasn't funny, it was just funny because she delivered it so poorly. Her acting is a huge problem and her voice sounds fine enough but put her singing "Home" up against LaChanze's "Believe in Yourself" and there's no comparison.

LaChanze was even a letdown to me though. Sure, vocally, she's arguably never sounded better but her acting was really nothing special. Joshua Henry, James Monroe Iglehart, and Christian Dante White are absolutely lackluster. Tichina Arnold and Dawnn Lewis are hamming it up like nobody's business and they actually both were deliciously campy (Arnold got a semi-standing ovation after "No Bad News" though, which I thought was way over-the-top. She's good but not worthy of a mid-show standing O.) Orlando Jones is awful in every way. My biggest complaint with the entire cast except for LaChanze was their DICTION. I could barely understand what any of them were singing. As Stephen Sondheim once said to Patti LuPone, "sing the WORDS."

The design elements add to the messiness of the show and don't really add much. The only time the show really didn't lay there like a lump was "Brand New Day" which was really fantastic. But I had to ask myself (as I did with "Sit Down You're Rockin the Boat" in the recently shuttered GUYS & DOLLS revival) "is this number 'fantastic' because it's really fantastic or is it 'fantastic' because everything up 'til now has kinda sucked?" I still don't have a definite answer.

I paid $17 for my ticket and quite honestly would like my $17 back. This is the first show I'm seeing, on or off Broadway for the new season and it's not off to the best of starts for me. Don't bother with this production. Next year can City Center's Summer Stars finally make my plea come true and do HELLO, DOLLY! with Bernadette Peters? Please? I need something to get the bad taste out of my mouth from THE WIZ.

Oh, and for the record, a standing ovation the second the lights came up...did I miss something?

* and 1/2 out of ****


Updated On: 6/18/09 at 11:31 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:36pm

I'm glad I only paid $10 for my ticket next week!
Updated On: 6/17/09 at 11:36 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:45pm

Rough.

Glad I decided not to buy my boyfriend and I tickets for this past weekend.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:48pm

Wow. This is sad. I was going to do that student ticket program and get the 10$ tickets, but now I don't even know if I should bother.
Updated On: 6/18/09 at 11:48 PM

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:49pm

You seem a little harsh. Hopefully "something" will show up soon so I can gauge it at all.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:50pm

I am curious what Brantley will say.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:52pm

You mentioned this was "the first show of the new season" that you saw. Does the "new season" officially start the day after the Tony Awards, or does it start sometime in September? I've always wondered that.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 11:55pm

The season started on May 1st. The day after the TONY eligibility cut off.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 12:14am

Well, at least I only payed $25 for my ticket- I'm very curious for Tuesday, I've heard so many different opinions...

[legally_popular]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 2:45am

Thanks for your review, Rocks. I always enjoy reading them.

After reading all these negative things about the show (in the other thread as well), I SO glad I didn't go see this with my friends.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 9:47am

**HERE BE (SOME) SPOILERS**

It really was pretty gosh darned awful. The sets and costumes left a lot to be desired. I didn't understand why the Yellow BrickRoad dancers were in black. I didn't understand the concept of the back up singers on the side of the stage. Was this a concert or a full production? Ashanti (or as someone here on BWW or ATC, can't remember, called her- Astinki) was robotic in her motions and bland in her acting. The supporting cast tried their best, but trying doesn't always equal succeeding.
Aside from the bad production, what on earth is so good about the show itself? I mean, the lyrics are absolutely cringe worthy, the book is full of gaping holes. It's just a messy show to begin with. Encores! made a hug mistake with this one. It would have been more fun to see, for example, Hello, Dolly! or The Unsinkable Molly Brown with a real Broadway star.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:17am

Oh and what was with the yellow light bulb hanging from a pole from offstage when Lewis was telling Ashanti to follow the yellow brick road? Huh!?!

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:21am

I am still in awe that they would pick such a mediocre cast. I mean, Ashanti I sort of get, but I had no idea who anyone else in the cast was when they were announced besides LaChanze. Chester Gregory needs work! I'm sure Daniel Breaker would like time away from Shrek! Roger Robinson's show just closed (he would be a GREAT Wiz)!

Come ON, people.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:33am

Beyond that, I don't understand why they chose THIS SHOW. It's really not a good show structurally and, as I mentioned, this production does the material NO favors whatsoever.

One can only imagine when they announced they were doing THE WIZ, they might have had bigger names lined up and they backed out. Because the choice of show, casting, and production are all major letdowns here.

I was iffy on their GYPSY with LuPone and enjoyed to a certain extent their DAMN YANKEES last season. I'm waiting for them to do a Summer Stars performance that is really going to blow my socks off.

Please, HELLO, DOLLY! with Bernadette. PLEASE?!

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:42am

I think the next Summer Stars production should be The Music Man with David Hyde Pierce, personally.

[dg22894]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:42am

^I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT! There are a bunch of KNOWN BROADWAY AFRICAN AMERICAN perfect for the Wiz actors out there. Gwen Staurt is off rent(SHE WOULD BE AN AMAZING EVANGILINE). Chester Gregory, Daruis DeHaas, AUDRA MCDONALD, Adrine Lenox, Tonya Pinkins

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:49am

The Musica Man was revived not too long ago.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:53am

Well, they did do Patti's GYPSY just a few years after the Bernadette revival shuttered. And it led to the Broadway production.

So I don't really think that would be an issue if they wanted to do THE MUSIC MAN.

But if it is ... DOLLY! hasn't seen the New York theater scene in so long...and it's been a while for Bernadette too.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:58am

and isn't the alleged point of Summer Stars doing more well-known musicals? obviously The Music Man can't be part of their regular Encores series, but I think it'd fit better into the mold of Summer Stars than The Wiz does.

rOcKS, I'd see Bernadette in Hello, Dolly! but I'm holding out for a revival with Victoria Clark.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 10:59am

I would be happy with Clark too! I mean, I'd love to see Patti do it as well. Maybe they can each rotate Dolly like the Billy boys?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 11:01am

that'd be an interesting study in contrasting performers.

[DAME]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 11:09am

Dolly deserves a full revival. Not a concert version. I would love to see a Latina Dolly. I saw Olga Merediz ( "In The Heights") play her years ago and it was nothing short of sensational. Perhaps Sarah Ramirez?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 11:36am

I think it's about time a turnip played Dolly.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 11:48am

like this turnip?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 6/18/09 at 11:54am

I'd have to hear her sing "So Long Dearie" first.