The Wiz Live!

I know the story from the 1939 movie--my favorite of all time--and a beautifully illustrated book. I have never seen a version of this story, where the cast is black and Dorothy is trying to return to Omaha, not Kansas. Or was she? I don't know what was invented for this production, and I didn't see the "Making Of" special until afterward. All I know is the crows were in the Scarecrow's big number. I do know some of the language used here could not have been in any of the 1970s versions, since those words didn't have those meanings way back then.

The first two live NBC productions had their problems. Until I read or heard other opinions, I didn't think anything was wrong with Carrie two years ago, except the other cast members were more talented than she was. Last year, there was one truly dismal performance and one uneven performance among the leads. This year, NBC had no weak links and, for the first time, the lead actress was fantastic. And she was a newcomer!

Elijah Kelley is quite a dancer. Could Michael Jackson have done quite as well way back then? Perhaps. I've never seen him in the role. I do know Jackson had that kind of talent in the 80s.

In the "Making Of" special, Ne-Yo is said to have delivered his lines with heart. That's certainly true.

Bad Principal to Bad Teacher had a Bad Series, in the eyes of most viewers, but I liked his show. But because others didn't agree with me, he was available to be a great Lion.

Common is anything but common. The Bouncer of Emerald City stands out and becomes a truly memorable character.

The original Dorothy is now Auntie Em, and very good too. Quite stern but loving, as she has to be. I'm not clear on whether Stephanie Mills played her sister, who tempted Dorothy in Oz, or who made Dorothy see her. This was something new to either this specific production or to the black version. Anyway, Mills is good in both roles if that is her.

When I saw the Good Witch, I saw a great if quirky character and did not see Mercedes from "Glee". In the "Making Of" special I immediately recognized her.

The Wiz is great too, in different ways. I've never seen a version where the group saw the actual person before that one scene, but what they did see at first was a flamboyant, confident and demanding ruler. Queen Latifah is great there and, of course, later. If you don't know the story, I won't give it away, but the later scenes are quite effective.

The Wicked Witch has a less prominent role here than in the 1939 movie. Mary J. Blige is deliciously evil and even more so than her ABC counterpart, but not quite on the level of Margaret Hamilton or ABC's most evil witch of all.

And then there is a fourth witch, another good witch. She is kind and less off-the-wall than the other one. Not in the 1939 movie, but presented in a different way in the book.

I'm not sure what the purpose was in having the farm hands, since they weren't in the original book and no mention is made of Dorothy thinking they were familiar either in Oz or later. I was wondering how they could get out of makeup to do the finale from the 1939 movie, but that's not what happened. Anyway, there is no Uncle Henry, so running a farm on her would have been quite a challenge for Em and Dorothy alone. The farm hands add something at the beginning.

I mentioned no weak links. As in the 1939 movie, everyone who has a line delivers it well, whether it is one line or many. Lots of other quirky characters add something. Several Munchkins and a couple of employees of the Wicked Witch are included. And the crows are very "Street".

The music is great even if it isn't entirely my taste, but I couldn't help but like the Scarecrow's number, which isn't quite disco but is the style that became disco back in the 70s. Some of the music is good to me, and some is good only to those who have that particular taste in music, which I don't.

And the dancers are very talented. Once again, not necessarily what I would like, but it is a fantastic production.

Visual effects are pretty spectacular as well. I learned a lot more when I saw the "Making Of" special, but so much of what goes on in the background is so real. I only saw one wire supporting a character who was up in the air.

Family friendly? A little less so than the 1939 movie, in which some the flying monkeys scared some kids. This one is not quite as scary, but does have three curse words, one for each hour, and one particularly bad one.

The best yet? Maybe. NBC should keep doing this.

First of all, after seeing the original version of this amazing musical during its initial Broadway run in the mid-70s nearly 40 years ago which was one of the many incredible Broadway musicals to come out of that decade, and then seeing the most horrible (I can't say it enough) HORRIBLE vomit-inducing film version with 34-year-old Diana Ross in 1978 that was SO bad that it lost nearly half its budget, and then hearing that they were using a woman in the role of the Wiz this time around, I must admit that I went into this with more than a good deal of trepidation and very low expectations.

Well, other than Queen Latifah's performance of her two songs which were keyed so low compared to the original B'way version (sung by the still-amazing Andre DeShields) that she sounded like Bea Arthur and they lost all their energy and excitement, and the one ridiculously corny "new" song sung by Dorothy and her friends before leaving the Wiz's palace to try and do away with Evilene, EVERY SINGLE PERFORMANCE was flawless! All of the singing and dancing was done extremely well (although while Ms. Blige did do a fine job of acting and singing, she is certainly no gospel-singing Mabel King). The choreography was difficult yet fun and very well executed. But the main events were the costumes, wigs, makeup, sets, lighting, and special/video effects. For what was essentially a "stage" show, these items made a televised version of this show amazingly spectacular to watch. The one costume that really stood out for me was Glinda's golden spun-sugar gown near the end. While as a young child watching the 1939 version once a year on broadcast TV and seeing Billie Burke in that incredibly beautiful humongous pink sparkly gown and crazily-tall star-topped crown, I even took to drawing it once in awhile even though I had no skill in drawing. To me it was that beautiful and memorable. But this gown just took my breath away. It reminded me of something done with the help of CGI from last year's live-action Disney version of "Cinderella."

Most of the stand-out singing, dancing, and acting performances came from the four main characters, all of which were wonderful. But Uzo Aduba totally blew me away with her song, "If You Believe" as she sounded every bit as good as Dee Dee Bridgewater from the original B'way version which was absolutely shocking as I didn't even know Ms. Aduba could sing let alone have such great vocal chops.

However, I think the greatest flaw (and I hate to say it since I have always been one of his biggest fans, both of his writing and acting) was Harvey Fierstein's script. In fact, I almost stopped my DVR after the first four minutes in Kansas because the script was so far removed from the original. But I must compliment him highly on the touching scene when the foursome catches the "Wiz" in her bathrobe and she explains to each of them how they already have what they have been seeking, and how she came to be "The Wiz," as well as Dorothy's convincing speech to her about her being trapped in the dark, in secrecy, alone, and unloved. Very redeeming writing compared to much of the "updated" mediocre writing earlier.

Before I end this review, I must give Stephanie Mills her due. When she performed on Broadway she was merely 17. Now she is in her 50s, and believe it or not, her voice sounds EXACTLY the same as it did 40 years ago. In fact, I am listening to her version of "Home" from the Original Broadway Cast Recording at this very moment, and there is absolutely NO difference in the quality or strength of her voice in this new version. Kudos, Ms. Mills for hanging onto your amazing chops after all these years.

One more thing I have to mention to those who stated in the Message Boards that Shanice Williams was "too old" to play Dorothy. In the 1939 film version of "The Wizard of Oz" Judy Garland was 16, in the original Broadway version of "The Wiz" Stephanie Mills was 17, and Ms. Williams is only 19. In comparison, Diana Ross was 34 when she did the film version, so who was really too old to play Dorothy? And what difference is age in a performer, as long as they don't LOOK too old (as Ms. Ross definitely did in 1978). Just watch any of the four comedies on ABC on Wednesday nights and you will see a good number of young actors in their 20s playing high school and college students much younger than their actual ages. This has been going on in film and TV since forever.

In closing, an all-around surprisingly terrific "live" TV version of a great American Broadway Musical. I enjoyed it much more than I had expected.

Of the NBC live productions, 'The Wiz' is by far the best, which is saying a lot seeing as 'The Sound of Music' and particularly 'Peter Pan' fell completely flat.

Also think that it is a big improvement over the 1978 Sidney Lumet-directed film with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. That did have a few good thing, such as Jackson, but generally it is down there with the worst film musicals with Ross being horribly miscast and the whole thing felt misconceived.

'The Wiz Live' is not perfect but entertained and was mostly well performed, far better than anticipated. The musical itself this reviewer likes a lot, there may be some bias though as someone who performed the backing vocals in our school production ten years ago and has fond memories of the experience. The songs, in a 1970s Motown style, are catchy with a great mix of the funny and the emotional, and are surprisingly accessible, and the story is a clever updated version of the classic 'Wizard of Oz' story.

Starting with the many good things, 'The Wiz' is by far the best-looking of the NBC live productions, 'Peter Pan' did look beautiful if a little confined sometimes in space while 'The Sound of Music' looked sparse and cheap. 'The Wiz' however is far more expansive in space and is bursting with colour with inspired use of video screen to create background sets. The costumes, apart from the cheap ones for the Winkies that are not right for dancing really, are beautifully designed and look great especially the breathtaking one for Glinda.

Choreography is full of energy, with a fantastic contribution by Cirque De Soleil who not only do some wonderful dancing and characterful acting for the Flying Monkeys and Poppy Girls but manage to solve potential problems with scene changes, was surprised at how well the tornado came off. The staging is similarly energetic and also boasts some very touching moments, though this reviewer has always found the ending rushed and abrupt and it's the case here. Less successful is the updated dialogue, with some jokes that badly jar and feel stale and out of date.

Musically, the production is mostly very good, with rousing and nuanced playing from the band, beautifully balanced and enthusiastic backing vocals and alert and sympathetic musical direction. Most of the performances are quite excellent, with standouts being Elijah Kelly's vulnerable and full-of-life Scarecrow, Ne-Yo's charming and sometimes witty Tin Man, David Allen Grier's purr-fect (pun intended) Lion, Amber Riley's sympathetic Addaperle and Stephanie Mills (a great Dorothy herself a long time ago) touching Aunt Em who makes the most out of "The Feeling We Once Had".

Unfortunately a few don't come off so well. Shanice Williams' inexperience does show in some rather one-dimensional acting and stiff and not-sure-of-the-steps dancing as Dorothy, though she does possess a good voice, especially in "Home" and "Ease On Down the Road". Uzo Aduba looks and acts positively angelic as Glinda, but while some of her singing is good she does sound strained and flat in "Believe in Yourself".

Mary J Blige and particularly Queen Latifah are more problematic. Mary J Blige sings well in the role of Evilene, though this viewer prefers a more gospel sound in "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News", but her acting falls flat, Evilene should be menacing but also funny, Blige is neither and looks ill at ease with the menace being non-existent and the scenery-chewing being ham-fisted and unnatural. In a gender reversal, Latifah is all wrong in the title role, she shouts her way as well as sounding somewhat drunk in her introductory song and her acting feels like a bizarre comedy skit with flat line delivery.

Overall, while an uneven production 'The Wiz Live' was far better than anticipated. By far the best of the NBC Live production and superior to the film. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I was so excited to see the show live. As a cast member of the movie "The Wiz" it brought back such fond memories. This cast gave it a modern kick!!! Dorothy is such a delight. Once again I believed that Shanice Williams was really Dorothy it was so easy to really go along with her on the journey. And my heart was so pleased to see Stephanie Mills as Aunt Em boy did I miss seeing her. It has been so long. I am so happy for the children who are seeing it for the first time…and how it will play out in their lives. My life has been full of the fantastic dreams & the music of OZ. David Alan Grier as the lion was so comforting. Just what I would want a lion to be. And say "Hey" to Queen Latifah as the Wiz. I was really into her down to earth reaction to being found out.

Thank you to all in this "Live" cast. You gave me such a gift…taking me on that journey once again to OZ & back HOME again.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the show. Well I'm not familiar with the wizard of Oz. (Did I hear a "shame on you"?) I didn't like the story, not a fan of fairy tales. But the songs, the music and the performances were marvelous. I didn't know Elijah Kelley but man, he's got a great voice. I knew David Alan Grier from his "In Living Color" days but now he really impressed me. And Ne-Yo was PERFECT in his songs. Queen Latifah is brilliant. Who would have guessed 30 years earlier that this young rapper would become such a charismatic actress and singer. Amber Riley, perfect as always. Uzo Aduba, was a pleasant surprise. Shanice Williams, was good too. But to be honest I didn't like Mary J Blige.

I think the show is a must-see for the music and the performers.