'The Wiz' review: A black classic returns to Broadway

Let me start by confessing: I never liked “The Wizard of Oz.” But give me a new novel with, say, Black Dorothy and Black Oz, and I'll be clicking on my heels immediately.

When “The Wiz” premiered on Broadway in 1975, it was a colorful exclamation of blackness on stage. That Means a Black Score, written by Charlie Smalls, including gospel and R&B; Black crew. And the black masses are at the forefront.

Then three years later, the beloved Motown film, starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor, drove black Dorothy from her home, not in Kansas but in Harlem, and cleverly transformed New York City's neighborhoods into future-chic Oz. .

Now “The Wiz” returns to Broadway in a revival directed by Schele Williams and an updated book by Amber Ruffin, aiming to create a spectacle “through the Blackest of Black lenses.” This new production, which opened at the Marquis Theater on Wednesday, showcases creative images and some outstanding performances, but falls short of bringing modern blackness to Broadway.

Here, Dorothy (Nichelle Lewis, in her Broadway debut) is a city girl who moves to Kansas to live with her Aunt Em (Melody A. Bates, later playing the deliciously copper-throated witch Evelyn). But Dorothy does not feel at home and is harassed by her classmates. A sudden meteorological anomaly sends Dorothy to Oz, where she seeks advice from the great and powerful Wes (Wayne Brady) on how to get home. Along the way, she's joined by a Scarecrow (Avery Wilson) in need of a brain, a Tin Man (Philip Johnson Richardson) who wants a heart and a Lion (Kyle Ramar Freeman) desperate for some courage. (Sorry dog ​​lovers, no Toto.)

There is plenty of gold to be found along this yellow brick road. Played by Deborah Cox, the Good Witch, in a shimmering gold gown, Glinda looks like a jewel and sounds like one too, with her crystalline voice shifting from jazzy splatter to shimmering falsetto on “He's the Wiz” and then delivering a triumphant rendition of “You've Got to Believe in Yourself “

Glenda isn't the only one with flashy fashion; The costume design, by Sharyn Davis, draws from a wide and unexpected range of time periods and trends. Geese with blue afros, green extensions and multicolored braids flit in bright skirts during a scene intended to replicate the Second Line parade in New Orleans; Evelyn's army of evil poppies slinks around in '70s-style Afros and wide-legged jumpsuits, and the residents of the Emerald City walk around in futuristic African outfits with ornate collars and fringes.

There's just as much color in the choreography, choreographed by JaQuel Knight, which offers an evocative mix of styles. Hurricane Dorothy is summoned by a wave of dancers wearing puffy gray fabrics. Later, those graceful, strong-backed turns are replaced just as quickly by curving, low Afro-Cuban steps and crisp hip-hop moves.

The best performances in the production are also grounded in movement: Wilson is a playful scarecrow, his wobbly knees and free-throwing limbs displaying remarkable flexibility and acrobatic skill. Freeman's dramatic dancing and marching as the lion pairs perfectly with his character…well, the theatrics of the lion.

Add to the mix the popping on-and-off Tinman who also drops the sentimental ballad “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” and the charming showmanship of Brady Weisz (armed with a peppy exit number that's even more cheerful than his entrance), and you've got a group of fellas that outdo the Hero.

As Dorothy, Lewis hits the notes sincerely but is dwarfed by the stage and performers around her. Although Ruffin's book offers some modern updates to the language and gives her companions new stories, Dorothy still lacks dimension, and Lewis struggles to fill her with any emotional shading.

Despite the free fashions, there is a boxed quality to most of the production. Dorothy and her adventure, like the general trend, is bright and tidy but falls short in character. Oz's animated backgrounds often have the feel of a bland, overly glossy Pixar movie. The pacing doesn't exactly “loose” as it races through the show's two-and-a-half-hour running time; Settings and characters pass by in a blur. Even the series' musical arc slips into routine, with a predictable build toward each major solo climax.

All of this is to say that “The Wiz” is a fun and rewarding time in the theater, but as a new production of a musical with a legacy of bringing blackness to one of Hollywood and Broadway's favorite fairy tales, it's less satisfying.

There is a more recent production hinted at in the ecstatic set costumes and choreography mix. There is a stronger, bolder representation of modern-day blackness suggested in the subtle touches of New Orleans' Tremé neighborhood and the character's sarcasm about discovering her curl pattern.

In the past, critics of this newspaper have not been impressed with the production of this musical. In 1984, Frank Rich rashly rejected a “vulgar” Broadway production of a musical that he considered “no great” but “an enthusiastic expression of black self-esteem and talent.” In his review of the original, in 1975, Clive Barnes wrote of a “lively” and “styled” production that was nonetheless “dull” – perhaps because, he ventures, such fairy tales are only attractive to him when they are grounded. In one's own experience. Does the show say “different things to black people than it says to white people?” a black Times writer asked several months later. His answer was yes. Likewise for me.

Nearly 50 years later, and with a similar degree of ambivalence, I wonder whether reviving one of the theater's beloved black musicals is really… black expertise. It feels like just another night at the theater.

Wiz
Through August 18 at the Marquis Theater, Manhattan; wizmusical.com. Show duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes.