The Trailer:
Director: Matthew Diamond & Kenny Leon
Cast: Shanice Williams, Elijah Kelley, Ne-Yo, David Alan Grier, Amber Riley, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, & Uzo Aduba
Plot Summary: Dorothy Gale (Shanice Williams), a young girl whisked away from her Kansas home to the land of Oz, must find her way to the Wiz (Queen Latifah) with the help of the Scarecrow (Elijah Kelley), the Tin-Man (Ne-Yo), and the Cowardly Lion (David Alan Grier) all while trying to avoid the wicked witch of the west, Evillene (Mary J. Blige). Based on the 1975 Broadway musical "The Wiz", which is a modern retelling of the Wizard of Oz using only black actors.
Have I ever told you that one of my favorite movies of all time is The Wizard of Oz? Well it is, and due to the immense love I have for that movie, I refused to watch any retelling and/or reboot of it: meaning I've never seen the 1978 movie musical, The Wiz. I was afraid that either I would love it more than The Wizard of Oz, or that I would be so offended at their inability to capture the magic of the original, or that my undying love for the original wouldn't allow for me to watch a remake without bias. Then when I heard that NBC was going to do a live production of The Wiz, I was both excited and hesitant to watch it. And you can see how long my ambivalence about watching it lasted as I barely watched it two days ago, even though it came out in December of last year. And now I'm questioning why I waited so long? The Wiz Live! is absolutely dazzling and full of life.
Every single aspect of this NBC production is flawless. Everything from the acting, singing, costumes, sets, and etc. goes above and beyond to create a world of magic and soul. I sat there open-mouthed and wonder struck at the sheer magnitude and entertainment value of it. And when I say magnitude, I mean that there is this bigness to the show despite it being filmed on a small rotating stage. And, might I add, I one hundred percent respect the director's for choosing to use a small stage space instead of multiple sound stages: with a small stage that mimics a real theater show, it makes the whole production feel that much more authentic and helps us realize how much work was actually put into this show. The sets, with the help of digital screens for the background, are the most wondrous things to ever hit the small screen. You'll really feel as though you've been transported to a mystical land. Adding the attractive sets are the befitting costumes: the costumes are colorful, bright, glittering, and envy-inducing (well maybe only envy-inducing for me since my only life wish is to live in a musical). The poppies being my favorite costumed-characters in the show:
Not only are they everything I wish my wardrobe to be filled with, they are seductive yet sweet. And then the makeup is the ultimate topping on the visuals. The Scarecrow, the Tin-Man, and the Cowardly Lion are so flawlessly made up, they'll leave you in awe.
Now for the actors involved with this tremendous project. This is Shanice William's first ever performance, live or on screen. And I couldn't even tell. She has this presence on that stage that demands an audience to watch her because she is so outstanding as Dorothy Gale. And her voice is like a songbird, elegant and crisp. Elijah Kelley as the Scarecrow is perfect: he embodies this beloved character who doubts his own intellectual abilities while also being endearing and sweet. Ne-Yo who, despite I never being a huge fan of (I don't dislike him so much as I am indifferent about his music career), blew me away as the Tin-Man: his dancing, singing, and acting are all on par with the rest of the cast and is just pure fun. Then David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion is probably my favorite character (funny enough, the Cowardly Lion is my least favorite character in The Wizard of Oz); he is a cool cat full of soul and groove, I love him. His song "Mean Ole Lion" might be favorite song of the entire show! Amber Riley, who plays Addapearle, has only a small part in the beginning and the end of the show but is such a character with her silly antics and "magic" abilities that I feel she should've had more screen-time, but I suppose that wouldn't fit with the rest of the story. Mary J. Blige as Evillene is the most wickedly wicked witch that ever was, and that's all I have to say about her. Queen Latifah as The Wiz is my favorite rendition of the wizard I have ever seen: she's funny, horrendous, and her costume is to die for. And then Uzo Aduba as Glinda, the good witch of the South has her one song to shine, and does so like a supernova. Adding to their impeccable acting abilities that bring all these well known characters to life, but all of their singing is absolutely amazing!!! I am not disappointed one bit about the casting choices because I think each actor brought their own singing and acting skills and weaved them together seamlessly. But let's not forget about the dancing, their dancing is just as impressive as their singing and acting. Especially those in the ensemble, I mean did you see those Cirque De Soleil dancers as Evillene's Winged Warriors? It's just a small moment, but they're doing flips and whatnot on bouncy stilts, like what? It's totally magical. It's like I mentioned before, every little detail and aspect of this live show adds to the overall magic of the show.
After watching The Wiz Live! I realize that the intention of the The Wiz wasn't to replace the original The Wizard of Oz, but merely to serve as a different perspective on a classic tale. The heart and soul of the original movie and story is still there, but with a lot more soul and grooviness. I loved every minute of this particular live production, and still love The Wizard of Oz as much as I did before. They're two completely tellings of the same story, but should be treated as individuals rather than companions or two things to be compared. Also, if I may add, I appreciate that The Wiz Live! stays truer to the book with the inclusion of the winkies, and the two good witches rather than just Glinda, and Dorothy's silver shoes. That's awesome and duly noted. Would I watch it again? Yes, I just have to ease on down the road back to the Wiz.
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