The Wiz Live! - A Review

I liked it. I enjoyed the music, the characters, the messages. Being familiar with the movie, I was most concerned about the Scarecrow (who can compare to Michael Jackson?), but Elijah Kelley did the part proud. I want to see this live on stage – it looks like a lot of fun.

Understand The Wiz is not based on the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, but on L. Frank Baum's novel. Thus, like the book, none of the witches are green and the shoes are silver. It is, as it ever will be, a story about a girl finding her way home.

One issue I had with this production was that there seemed to be a lot of close ups. Too much like T.V. and not enough like Theater, for my taste.

Here are some of my real time observations – they may be a little spoilery if you haven't seen the show, so proceed with caution:

--Toto ain't got nothing on Nanny [the dog in last year's Peter Pan Live!]

--"What had happened was…" is one of my favorite expressions of all time.

--I shouldn't be surprised that David Alan Grier can sing, but I am.

--Love that snarl! Love the costume! Love David Alan Grier!

--Okay, so in the movie, were the accordion things that terrified me as a child supposed to be shape shifters?

--I really really really don't like Halo (mandarin orange) commercials.

--You're excited for The Wiz so you're quoting The Wizard of Oz? Oh, SNL.

--Are they voguing?

--That Rihanna commercial? Nope.

--"Ain't nobody givin' us nothin'"

--I love you Mary J. , but that cackle was a little weird.

--I do like the Walmart commercial with the boy picking out a gift for his (soon to be) step sister.

--Yay! Taraji, Mary J., and Kerry are back! Listening to salsa! Marc Anthony, if I'm not mistaken. Which I probably am.

--"That's right - Nothing wrong with being a woman" Love it!

--"The places you wind up when you don't look where you're going" Preach!

--There is something about Glinda the Good being dark skinned and proclaimed beautiful. So wonderful.

--I shouldn't be surprised that Uzo Aduba can sing, but I am.