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Sunday, October 01, 2006

The Wiz, Original Revival Cast (pre-Broadway), La Jolla Playhouse (2006)

Cast Nikki M. James (Dorothy), Albert Blaise Cattafi (Toto), Titus Burgess (Lion), Rashad Naylor (Scarecrow), Michael Benjamin Washington (Tinman), Heather Lee (Addaperle), David Alan Grier (The Wiz)
For complete info on this amazing cast and crew, see La Jolla Playhouse's The Wiz site.

Des McAnuff (Artistic Director of the La Jolla Playhouse and Director of this production) did an amazing job with this revival of The Wiz! Few sets have been as complicated as this one. In fact, one of the first questions my husband asked as we entered the theatre was where the show is going from here (Broadway), since he didn't think it could tour.

They removed an entire row of seats (around row G) so that the Yellow Brick Road can go from the stage around the sides of the front orchestra and through the orchestra. It was made yellow with lights, not actually yellow to start. The main stage had a rotating section, the top of the house was hovering above the family room area and spun, too. There was a three-piec section of walkways above that could also move down to be part of the yellow brick road as the cast tries to find the Wiz and Evillene.

The cast is totally amazing (and gorgeous). They all have great voices and are wonderful dancers & actors. Albert Blaise Cattafi as Toto in Oz is particularly amazing, but when you look at his amazing bio for how young he looks, it's not very suprising. I'd never seen The Wiz live and hadn't seen the movie in years, so all I really remembered of it was Ease on Down the Road and Home. I'd forgotten the beautiful song Aunt Em & Dorothy sing in the beginning (and Glinda and Dorothy reprise later). The Wiz really has some great music.

I never really liked The Wizard of Oz, but somehow, The Wiz is more fun, more hip. And, Dorothy isn't nearly as whiny in The Wiz. Parts of the show are still way to cheesy to make a great musical, but The Wiz is very enjoyable and well done.

Although we saw a preview show, I didn't see anything wrong with the special effects or timing. I highly recommend checking out The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse while it's there or on Broadway when it moves to NYC.

Grade: A-

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Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams

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