The Wiz Live!

This was the annual NBC network live presentation for the Holiday season.

"The Wiz" was conceived and presented on stage back in the 1970s as a black re-imagining of the classic "Wizard of Oz" story. It differs in mood and songs, with an emphasis on the more traditional black vibe.

I have long been a fan of the "Wizard of Oz" movie and was very entertained by this live production. The basic story is the same but the costuming is unique, and of course the songs.

Newcomer Shanice Williams, 18 and from New Jersey, is in the lead role as Dorothy Gale. She sings wonderfully and her acting is OK for someone new to stage productions.

I always enjoy seeing Queen Latifah and here she plays the key role of The Wiz. At first it seems that they have chosen a female to play a male part but as the story unfolds her character is indeed a female.

It was also fun to know that Stephanie Mills, who plays Auntie Em, was in the original all those years ago.

All in all a successful presentation by NBC.

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.

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.

With a stellar cast, you might wonder how this production could be anything but great. Well, it starts off somewhat shakily.

The story is rooted in the 1939 classic film, though there are substantial changes--including the entire song list. But it is best to evaluate this work on its own, without comparisons to the MGM classic. It is easy to miss the film's "Over the Rainbow" barnyard ballad, but the viewer quickly gets past that if he accepts the new sensibilities of this modernized version, with its less stringent grammar.

But the beginning is plagued with a very obvious camera in frame. And the dance of the dust devils feels like nothing more than a time filler. And there is a product placement that draws the viewer away from the story. Overall, the first scene lacks magic. Granted Dorothy is not yet in a magical land, but it doesn't grab the audience's attention. Then, the Winkies dance in costumes ill-designed for dance.

Fear not. The best is yet to come. Indeed, this live performance exceeds expectations and gains momentum throughout the telecast. By the time we meet the Tin Man, "The Wiz" hits its stride.

With only an occasional misstep, the remainder of the show is stirring, clever and filled with great musical performances. ("Believe in Yourself"--a predictably strong musical number--does fall a little short due to straining on the high notes).

Another criticism is the inclusion of religious imagery in the dialogue and lyrics. This serves to undermine the story's message--look to yourself for strength.

I don't mean to sound too critical, because this is a show worth seeing. Take out that camera reveal, and this could be an annual favorite.

7/14/16: Received six Emmy nominations.