The Wiz Live! (2015)

With these network TV live musicals, I keep thinking I’ve already reviewed shows that I haven’t. When Andrew Lloyd Webber streamed Hairspray Live!, I at first thought I’d reviewed it back when first aired on NBC. Same with this show, but I guess not – looks like Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert is the only one I previously wrote a review of. Glad to rectify that now where The Wiz is concerned. Really enjoyed it when I saw it back in 2015, and I really enjoyed seeing it again!

a.k.a. “the Black Wizard of Oz,” this show finds Dorothy Gale blown on a tornado to the land of Oz. Gifted with a recently-deceased wicked witch’s slippers, she sets off down the yellow brick road in the hopes that the legendary Wiz will be able to help her get home. Along the way, she makes friends with a Scarecrow, a Tin-Man, and a Lion all looking for a little help of their own.

Right from the start, this production pops. Anything in Oz is gonna be a designer’s dream, and the show doesn’t waste an instant. From Munchkinland to the Emerald City, every set, costume, and wig is magical. Dorothy’s friends have especially-great costumes, and I enjoy little details like the Lion’s mane being partially loc’d. Last week, I talked about how Hairspray Live! felt very safe, hewing close to the original production, but this one completely does its own thing and takes plenty of chances that pay off creatively.

The casting is great across the board. Newcomer Shanice Williams shines as Dorothy, both sincere and plucky as the famous girl from Kansas. We also have Eljiah Kelley (Seaweed from the film adaptation of Hairspray) as the Scarecrow, Ne-Yo as the Tin-Man, and the always-terrific David Alan Grier as the Lion. Queen Latifah tears it up as the Wiz, and the cast also features the considerable talents of Amber Riley (Mercedes on Glee,) Uzo Aduba (Suzanne on Orange is the New Black,) and Mary J. Blige.

The singing is pretty uniformly-fantastic, and the dancing is wonderful. On the latter note, I want to give a special shoutout to Kelley’s rubber-limbed Scarecrow moves and Ne-Yo’s Tin-Man robot dancing. I wasn’t very familiar with The Wiz’s score before this aired on NBC, but there are some bang-up songs here. I especially like Dorothy’s “As Soon As I Get Home,” the Scarecrow’s “You Can’t Win,” the Wiz’s “So You Wanted to See the Wizard,” and the heartwarming quartet number “We Got It.”

I’ll be honest – I didn’t watch the NBC versions of The Sound of Music or Peter Pan when they first aired. But The Wiz Live! piqued my interest, and it’s the one that made me realize these live musicals had potential. Really glad it was streamed again so I could revisit how cool and fun it is.

Warnings

Some violence/scary moments for kids, sensuality, and thematic elements.