The Wiz
The Wiz | |
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The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" | |
Awards | Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Original Score |
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) in the context of contemporary African-American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974, at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore,[2] and moved to Broadway's Majestic Theatre[3] with a new cast on January 5, 1975.
The 1975
Production history
Development and Broadway
The idea for the musical originated with producer Ken Harper. He replaced the original director, Gilbert Moses, with Geoffrey Holder in Detroit during out-of-town tryouts. As cast member André De Shields, who played the title role, later wrote, "It was Geoffrey's masterful people skills and embrace of magical realism that metamorphosed The Wiz from caterpillar to butterfly."[4]
The original Baltimore cast included Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Stu Gilliam as the Scarecrow, Tiger Haynes as the Tin Man, Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion, and Butterfly McQueen as the Queen of the Field Mice, but in a much smaller role. Renee C. Harris stayed on as understudy for the role of Dorothy, as did McQueen for the role of Addaperle.
The production was choreographed by
The show had a pre-Broadway tryout at the
William F. Brown, who wrote the
The Broadway production moved to
Along with other musicals including
National tours and later revivals
The musical toured the US in 1976
A revival ran on Broadway at the
In August 2015, George Faison presented The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance and Music, performances of the original songs and choreography in honor of the Broadway hits 40th Anniversary at Summerstage in New York City. A number of members of the original Broadway cast returned for this celebratory run. Actress Phylicia Rashad, a munchkin and swing in the original production, co-hosted the performance with George Faison. André De Shields reprised his original role as the Wiz; Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tony Award winner for her role as Glinda, reprised her original role; Evelyn Thomas reprised her original role as the Tornado and Ebony Jo-Ann who played Addaperle in the Broadway revival of the production reprised her role as well. Singer-songwriter Wallace Gary joined the cast as the Scarecrow. Damien L. Sneed acted as the musical director and conductor of The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance and Music.[15]
From 1996 to 1997 there was a US concert version tour with Tasha Scott as Dorothy, Grace Jones (Evillene), Peabo Bryson (The Wiz), and CeCe Peniston as Glinda. The cast also featured Tony Terry as the Tin Man. Romelda Benjamin also played Aunt Em.
A North American tour, directed by Schele Williams with new material by Amber Ruffin, launched in the fall of 2023 in Baltimore with plans to transfer to Broadway for a limited engagement in spring 2024.[16] The Broadway revival is scheduled to open at the Marquis Theatre on April 17, 2024 with previews beginning March 29, 2024.[17] The tour will then resume performances beginning February 2025.[18]
Other productions
An Australian production for J. C. Williamson Theatres Limited played in Melbourne and Sydney from January–October 1976; starring Andrea Frierson (Dorothy), Victor Willis (Tin Man), Freddie Paris (Lion), Chuck McKinney (The Wiz) and Robert Ellis (Scarecrow). Upon his return from Australia in late 1976, Victor Willis joined the cast of the original Broadway production.[19]
Flymonkey Productions (
A production ran at the La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego, from September 26, 2006, through November 12, 2006, receiving good reviews and extending its run by three weeks. It was directed by Des McAnuff, who, with Harold Wheeler, orchestrator of the original Broadway version, revised the musical for contemporary audiences. It starred Nikki M. James (Dorothy), E. Faye Butler (Evelline) and David Alan Grier (The Wiz), and featured sets by Robert Brill.[22][23]
Dodger Productions holds U.S. rights to revive the musical, while
City Center's
A major British revival of the musical was produced in 2011 by the
The first German-speaking production was produced in Linz/Austria in the new Musiktheater Linz,[28] directed and choreographed by Kim Duddy.
The Fiddlehead Theatre Company, in the historic
A production ran at The Muny from June 19–25, 2018. It starred Nathan Lee Graham as The Wiz, James T. Lane as Tinman, Darius de Haas as Lion, Demetria McKinney as Glinda, and newcomers Danyel Fulton and Jared Grimes as Dorothy and Scarecrow, respectively. It was directed by Denis Jones and choreographed by Camille A. Brown.[30]
The Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester mounted a production that ran from November 24, 2021, until January 16, 2022,[31] with the cast including Tarik Frimpong as The Scarecrow. The production was recorded and streamed as an encore production, and performances from it were broadcast by the BBC as part of Big Night of Musicals by the National Lottery.[32]
A Mexican production is scheduled to run in June 2023 at Teatro Hidalgo in Mexico City. Produced by Juan Torres and directed by Ricardo Díaz. The show is choreographed by Pablo Rodríguez and set design by Oscar Acosta. The show will be led by Mexican young star Lucero Mijares who makes her theatre debut as Dorothy.
Plot
Prologue
Teenaged
. Though her work there keeps her busy, she often gets distracted in her boredom with farm life, choosing instead to play with Toto and dream of someday seeing far-off lands. Aunt Em, however, has little patience for her daydreaming, believing that dawdling is contrary to their way of life. After an argument, Aunt Em apologizes to her for an unintentionally hurtful remark. She explains that she only scolds because she wants Dorothy to be the best she can be, and fears that she will not be prepared for the responsibilities life will soon put upon her. Aunt Em loves her dearly and hopes they will always be as close as they were when she was younger ("The Feeling We Once Had").Act I
When an approaching storm turns out to be a
Dorothy sets off down the Yellow Brick Road, full of doubt and fear at what lies ahead ("Soon As I Get Home"). Stopping to rest by a cornfield, she is startled when a
The Yellow Brick Road leads them into a great forest where they discover a man made of tin, rusted solid. They oil his joints ("Slide Some Oil To Me") and he tells them how Evamean put a spell on his axe so that it began to cut off parts of his body. Each time it happened, a tinsmith replaced each missing part with one made of tin until he was entirely made of it. The one thing the tinsmith forgot was a heart, and he has longed for one ever since. Dorothy and the Scarecrow invite him on their journey to see the Wizard with the hope that he may give him one ("Ease On Down the Road #2").
They continue following the Yellow Brick Road deeper into the forest, where they are attacked by a large
Seeing a green glow in the distance, they continue their journey to the Emerald City, and wander into a field of poppies who blow opium dust on them. Dorothy recalls that Addaperle warned her of these poppies, and runs from the field as fast as she can with the Scarecrow and Tin Man behind her. The Lion is overcome by the dust and begins to hallucinate ("Lion's Dream"). He is dragged from the field and returned to his friends by the Mice Squad who police the area.
Marching up to the gates of the Emerald City, they are met by the
Once in the throne room, they are assaulted by a great show of lights, smoke, and pyrotechnics as the Wizard appears in several forms before them ("So You Wanted To Meet the Wizard"). They each plead their case to him, the Tin Man doing so in song ("What Would I Do If I Could Feel?"). He agrees on one condition: they must kill Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West. With their goals seeming further out of reach than ever before, they sink to the floor in tears.
Act II
Evillene rules over the yellow land of the west, enslaving its people, the Winkies. She is evil, power hungry, and ruthlessly determined to get her hands on her sister's silver shoes, so that she may increase her power and rule over all of Oz ("Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News"). Receiving word of Dorothy and her friends approaching, she sends her
Returning to the Emerald City, they see the Wizard (now a booming voice that seems to come from the very air). He reneges on his promise, and the Lion knocks over a screen in anger. Behind it stands a bewildered man who claims to be the Wizard. He shows them the elaborate mechanical effects used to create his illusions, and tells them that he is really a balloonist from Omaha named Herman Smith who traveled to Oz by accident when his hot air balloon drifted off course. The Ozians had never seen such a sight and proclaimed him Wizard. Not wanting to disappoint them, he assumed the role and had a great city built. He then had everyone in it wear green glasses, and in time, they came to believe it was green.
Furious, the group confronts the Wizard on his deceptions ("Who Do You Think You Are?"), but he points out that the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion already have the things they seek as shown in their behavior on the journeys they have made ("Believe In Yourself"). They remain unconvinced, so he creates physical symbols of their desires and they are satisfied. He proposes that Dorothy can return to Kansas the way he came, and offers to pilot her in his hot air balloon. He addresses the citizens of the Emerald City in person for the first time in many years, telling them of his imminent journey, and leaving the Scarecrow in charge ("Y'all Got It!"). Just as his speech reaches its climax, the balloon comes free from its moorings and rises quickly into the air, taking Dorothy's hopes of getting home with it.
Just as the group despairs of finding help, Addaperle reappears in a flash of light, suggesting that Dorothy ask
Motion picture and television adaptations
The resulting film version of The Wiz also starred former Motown star Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man, Richard Pryor as the Wizard, jazz singer Thelma Carpenter as Miss One (the name "Addapearle" was not used for this production) and Lena Horne as Glinda. Ross and King reprised their roles of the Lion and Evillene from the Broadway production respectively. Sidney Lumet served as director, working with screenwriter Joel Schumacher (who used none of Brown's stage script) and music supervisor Quincy Jones. The film was a critical and commercial failure, performing poorly at the box office and severely panned by critics, who branded the casting of Ross instead of Mills as Dorothy a disastrous blunder.[33][34]
In 1998, following their TV-movie production of
Eleven years later, following the production of two live musicals for NBC –
Instrumentation and chorus
The orchestra calls for 2 keyboards, 2 guitars, electric bass, drums, percussion, 2 trumpets, trombone, 2 woodwinds and a 5-piece chorus (4 male and 1 female). The first keyboard is played by the conductor. One guitarist plays lead while the other guitarist plays rhythm. The first woodwind player doubles on tenor and alto saxophones and flute while the second one doubles on tenor, alto and baritone saxophones and flute.
Cast
Notable replacements and understudies
Broadway (1975-1979)
- Dorothy: Renée Harris (u/s), Arnetia Walker (u/s)
- Scarecrow: Gregg Burge
- Tin Man: Ben Harney, Ralph Wilcox (u/s), Victor Willis (u/s)
- Lion: Michael Leslie, Ken Page, James Wigfall, Victor Willis (u/s)
- Aunt Em: Dee Dee Bridgewater (u/s)
- Glinda: Phylicia Rashad (u/s)
- The Wiz: Carl Hall, Victor Willis (u/s)
- Evillene: Theresa Merritt (Aunt Em in the 1978 film), Ella Mitchell, Irene Reid, Tasha Thomas (u/s)
- Addaperle: Butterfly McQueen (u/s)
1st and 2nd US Tours (1976, 1992)
- Dorothy: Sharon Brown (u/s), Renée Harris, Lillias White (2nd Tour)
- Lion: Ron Taylor
3rd US Tour
- The Wiz: Wayne Brady
Songs
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All numbers composed by Charlie Smalls save for the following: "Tornado" is composed by Timothy Graphenreed and Harold Wheeler. "Emerald City Ballet (Psst)" is composed by Graphenreed and George Faison. "Everybody Rejoice/A Brand New Day" is composed by Luther Vandross. The song "Wonder, Wonder, Why" was added for the 1984 Broadway revival, but is not part of the current licensed score.[49]
Critical reception
In his review of the 1984 revival, Frank Rich wrote: "What made The Wiz surprisingly moving the first time around was that its creators found a connection between Baum's Kansas fantasy and the pride of urban Black Americans. When Glinda, the good witch, musically instructed Dorothy to 'believe in herself,' she seemed to be delivering a broader inspirational message. The Wiz was hardly a great musical in 1975, but it had something to say, and it said it with verve and integrity. It's depressing to watch a once-fervent expression of Black self-respect and talent be spilled on the stage as if it were a trunkload of marked-down, damaged goods."[50]
In their review of the 2006 La Jolla production, Variety wrote: "'The Wiz' remains a collage of contemporary slang and imagery, but La Jolla's is a multicultural collage in which Baum's themes speak to the broadest possible audience. Unquestionably, the humor and the heartbeat of the piece remain African-American at their source, but the overall effect is pluralistic and inclusive. In the truest and most positive sense of the phrase, McAnuff's show is color-blind. Every alteration from the 1975 original, inspired by the central multicultural concept, is salutary. Brown's almost wholly rewritten script is tart and funny at last. Smalls' score—supervised by musical director Ron Melrose and original orchestrator Harold Wheeler—sounds fresh and contemporary".[51]
As critic Peter Filichia wrote in 2015, "Arguably more impressive is Stephen Sondheim's opinion. Whenever he's asked for a favorite show that he didn't write, he immediately says The Wiz. What?! With all its false rhymes?! 'Because,' he always says, 'it's the one show which makes you feel better when you come out of it than you did when you walked in.'"[52]
Recording
The Wiz The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard Of Oz" | |
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Cast recording by Various Artists | |
Released | 1975 |
Recorded | 1975 |
Genre | R&B, soul, pop |
Length | 45:03 |
Label | Atlantic SD 18137 |
Producer | Jerry Wexler |
Singles from The Wiz The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard Of Oz" | |
|
The Original Cast Recording for The Wiz was released in 1975 on the Atlantic label, produced by Jerry Wexler. While well received, the album omits several key songs from the musical that were not recorded for the album- such as the show's overture, dance and accompaniment music. The "Tornado" instrumental was released as both a 7" single and a 12" extended single, while the show's musical arranger Harold Wheeler co-produced a cover of "Ease on Down the Road" with studio group Consumer Rapport that became a charting single in 1975, peaking at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100.[7]
In 2017, the original Broadway cast recording of The Wiz was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."[53]
Track list
Side one
- "Prologue"
- "The Feeling We Once Had" – Tasha Thomas
- "Tornado" (instrumental)
- "He's The Wizard" – Clarice Taylor
- "Soon As I Get Home" – Stephanie Mills
- "I Was Born On The Day Before Yesterday" – Hinton Battle
- "Ease On Down The Road" – Hinton Battle, Stephanie Mills, Ted Ross, Tiger Haynes
- "Slide Some Oil To Me" – Tiger Haynes
- "I'm A Mean Ole Lion" – Ted Ross
Side two
- "Be A Lion" – Stephanie Mills, Ted Ross
- "So You Wanted To See The Wizard" – André De Shields
- "What Would I Do If I Could Feel" – Tiger Haynes
- "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News" – Mabel King
- "Everybody Rejoice" – Stephanie Mills and Company
- "Y'all Got It!" – André De Shields
- "If You Believe" – Dee Dee Bridgewater
- "Home (Finale)" – Stephanie Mills
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Tony Award
|
Best Musical | Won | |
Best Book of a Musical | William F. Brown | Nominated | ||
Best Original Score | Charlie Smalls | Won | ||
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
|
Ted Ross | Won | ||
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
|
Dee Dee Bridgewater | Won | ||
Best Direction of a Musical | Geoffrey Holder | Won | ||
Best Choreography | George Faison | Won | ||
Best Costume Design | Geoffrey Holder | Won | ||
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Musical | Won | ||
Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Stephanie Mills | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Ted Ross | Won | ||
Hinton Battle | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Mabel King | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Director of a Musical | Geoffrey Holder | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Choreography | George Faison | Won | ||
Outstanding Music and Lyrics | Charlie Smalls | Won | ||
Outstanding Set Design | Tom H. John | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Costume Design | Geoffrey Holder | Won |
See also
- The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)—other adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
References
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- ^ a b De Shields, Andre. "Easin' On Down the Yellow Brick Road". Performing Arts Legacy. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ^ The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 13, 1974, p. 27.
- ISBN 0-7935-7750-0, p. 241.
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- ^ "Everybody Rejoice! The Wiz Full Cast Announced". The Muny. 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
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- ^ The Wiz is NBC's next live musical Archived 2015-05-10 at the Wayback Machine Entertainment Weekly, Retrieved May 17, 2015
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- ^ Kondolojy, Anada (August 13, 2015). "Common, Ne-Yo and Elijah Kelley are Newest Additions to All-Star Cast for 'The Wiz Live!'". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
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- ^ Verini, Bob. "The Wiz". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
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External links
- The Wiz (1975) at the Internet Broadway Database
- The Wiz (1984) at the Internet Broadway Database
- The Wiz: a virtual coffee table book
- The Wiz plot and production information at GuideToMusicalTheatre.com
- "Cast members discuss The Wiz, based on L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz", an October 20, 1978 episode of WGBH's Slices of Black Theatre
- The Wiz collection, 1974–1979 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library.
- Charlie Smalls scores for The Wiz, 1974 Music Division, The New York Public Library.