The Wiz
The Wiz
Book by William F Brown
Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls
Based on “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” By Frank Baum
Directed by Steve MacKinnon
Choreography by Jonathan Guise
Starring Shonda L. Thurman, Emily Patterson and Dominique Minor
Theatre Downtown, Orlando, FL</strong>
“The Wiz” proves a stellar musical doesn’t need much of a plot as long as it has great songs. This adaptation of Frank Baum’s classic pares down the plot to a bare nubbin, ditching all that tedious motivation but leaving at least one great song or dance for everyone on stage. Dorothy (Patterson) is at odds with her Aunt Em (Thurman) for full 2 minutes until Aunt Em puts her arm around her and lets her know she’s loved with the soulful “The Feeling We Once Had”. Then a whirlwind of ballet dancers (courtesy of Harwood Watson Dance) takes us away to Oz in a strobe lit tornado, dropping us in the land of pre-teen munchkins. Worries about the real pup playing Toto fade as Amanda Bronte Balon takes over in her puppy-tights, and Dorothy heads down the Yellow Brick Road to adventure and enlightenment. We spend the rest of the first act collecting the Tin Man (St. Claire Du Berry, Jr.), the Scarecrow (Jovany Ramirez), and the Lion (Joshua Eads- Brown). Meeting The Wiz (Minor) put the first act over the top; he tore up the stage like a demented Dr. Frankenfurter in a fright wig. After intermission it’s off to wash down the Wicked Witch Evillene (Julie Ohrberg), meet her single flying money (Gabriel Brown), return to The Emerald City, and pass out the tchotchkes of everyones heart’s desire.
Despite the episodic flow of the show, it’s hard to find fault with any of the performances. Topping the show was the Tin Man’s arrival – he’s pushed on stage artfully concealed in a pile of metallic junk, and dazzles with rusty robot dance moves as he calls out for more oil “to slide down his spine.” The Cowardly Lion put in another over the top routine as he played with the line between his cowardice and everyone else’s personal space. Evillene’s foot fetish drew knowing laughs, even if it drifted toward a level of kink not really appropriate for the generally youngish audience.
While “The Wiz” is notionally a Black Play, there’s little in the text other than some ethnic voices tying it to the Black Experience. It’s still the story of a lost girl who finds that her strength lies inside her, and that can apply to anyone. While the stage set consisted of a projection screen and some artistically arranged dryer ducting, the entertainment value lies in the exacting dance moves by choreographer Jonathan Guise and the advanced musical direction by local favorite Steve McKinney. It’s a psychedelic swirl of color and movement, and even though Kansas keeps some nice earth tones, there’s no attempt to slavishly follow the visual design of the original film. Take off your story goggles and just watch the moving colors, and feel free to bring your youngest relatives. It’s a chromatic wonderland for all ages.
For more information, please visit http://www.theatredowntown.net
