Musicals On TV - The Wiz Live!

Universal/NBC, 2015
Starring Shanice Williams, Elijah Kelley, Ne Yo, and David Alan Grier
Directed by Kenny Leon and Matthew Diamond
Music by Charlie Smalls and others

The live TV musical made a comeback in 2013 with the surprise success of The Sound of Music Live! While it and a subsequent NBC live Peter Pan were at least somewhat popular with audiences, they went over less well with critics. We've already seen an earlier version of The Wiz that had trouble with miscasting and an inappropriate director flop...but this one was an even bigger hit, one of the most popular of all the recent live musicals, resonating big with audiences and critics. Were they right, or should it have a house dropped on it? Let's head to a farm in Kansas, where one young lady is about to run smack into a twister that will change her life, and find out...

The Story: Thirteen-year-old Dorothy Gale (Williams) is tired of living with her Auntie Em (Stephanie Mills) and their three goofy hired hands on a dull farm in Kansas. She wants to go back to Omaha to her school and friends. Before she can leave, a twister takes her and her home and drops them in the magical, rainbow-colored world of Oz. Turns out she saved the Munchkins from the nasty Witch of the East, Evarmean. The blue-clad Witch of the North, Adaperle (Amber Riley) sends her along the Yellow Brick Road to ask the Wizard of the Emerald City to get her to Omaha.

Along the way, Dorothy saves a scarecrow (Kelley) from being attacked by crows, hears the tragic tale of a tin woodsman (Ne-Yo), and reassures a cowardly lion (Grier) that he's not such a scaredy-cat after all. She and her friends manage to get past the Emerald City's stuffy gatekeeper (Common) by pointing out the silver shoes Adaperle gave to Dorothy and remind him that she killed the witch. The Wizard (Queen Latifa) insists that they kill another witch, the even more wicked Evilene (Mary J. Bilge) before she'll give them what they want. It's Dorothy who manages to find the courage to destroy the Witch...and with the help of Glinda, the Witch of the South (Uzo Aduba) realizes where her "home" really is.

The Song and Dance: Yeah, this is much better. Not only is this closer to the original 1975 Broadway show, but it's pretty close to the actual Oz books. The costumes are some of the most amazing creations I've ever seen on television. This is more of a live-action Dr. Seuss movie than the ones that came out a decade ago, with brilliant primary colors and swirling lines on every character. As good as Williams (who was chosen after a national search) is, the movie is anchored by fine performances by its three witches. Riley is an adorable and very funny Adaperle (especially when she keeps getting Dorothy's name wrong), Aduba is an absolutely gorgeous Glinda, and Bilge reeks slinky, sassy evil.

Favorite Number: Aunt Em explains why she wishes Dorothy would stay in the touching "The Feeling We Once Had" in the opening. Grier has almost as much fun as Bert Lahr with his "I'm a Mean Ol' Lion" and his duet with Williams, "Be a Lion." The Emerald City Ballet (Psst) shows off some of those incredible costumes as Dorothy and her friends try to find where the Wizard is, only to learn that they hide and seem to be some kind of monster. Bilge really tears into her "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News," while Aduba has a really lovely "Believe In Yourself." Dorothy, the Wizard, and her friends perform the new-for-the-show "We Got It!" before the Wiz takes off.

Trivia: Stephanie Mills (Aunt Em) was Dorothy in the original 1975 Broadway cast of The Wiz.

Those awesome costumes won an Emmy; the production design, lighting, hair and makeup, and direction were nominated.

What I Don't Like: I still kind of wish we could have seen more of Evilene before she's introduced; that problem seems to be built into The Wiz. The tornado that brings Dorothy to Oz is depicted by dancers in whirling costumes, fairly cheap special effects, and Dorothy flying up into the air. It looks kind of weird, especially compared to the better effects in Oz, and the black lines on Dorothy that are helping her fly are pretty obvious.

The Big Finale: I'm so glad they did this. It's a marked improvement on the film version of this show, with a great cast in amazing Emmy-winning costumes having a lot of fun with the enjoyable score. Highly recommended if you're a fan of the show, the cast, or live musicals.

Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but it can be found on a few streaming platforms or bundled with the 1978 theatrical version of The Wiz.

DVD
DVD - The Wiz/The Wiz Live! Double Feature
Amazon Prime (buy only)