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 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 am not a theater expert or a theater critic. I watch TV to be entertained and oh boy, was I ever entertained with "The Wiz Live!" I didn't look for flaws. I didn't listen for missed notes or lyrics. I didn't scour sets and costumes for flaws. I certainly did not inspect dance routines for missteps. I didn't unfairly compare it to the original Broadway production, subsequent movie, or the beloved classic that I so dearly adore. I simply watched and I was enchanted with what NBC put before me.

No, this viewer won't pick apart the production. I will just say again that I was entertained and I am so very glad I had the privilege of watching NBC finally get it right!

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.

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.