By Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO — Usually the path of Broadway touring shows is that the show goes on tour after some considerable time and success on Broadway. But for The Wiz, now playing at Broadway San Diego, the opposite is true. San Diego is one of 13 cities on the journey to the Great White Way. Even more unusual for the local audience, we get to see the actors who are originating the roles and will play them on Broadway. Not only that, but many of the actors have had multiple terms on Broadway stages.
With that caliber of cast, it’s no surprise that the audience loved the show. It was an explosion of sound and color, with impressive vocal tricks in the singing, and some of the most captivating ensemble dancers I’ve ever seen. With such powerful vocals, there were some issues of the music overpowering parts of the songs as the audio controls were likely set for where the vocals spiked and may have been too low for when the vocals were softer. Some of the lyrics in the song openings got swallowed by this audio challenge.
A quick recap, for those who weren’t around for the stage productions in the 1970s or in 1978 when the movie came out starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Utt’s a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz with an all Black cast and music that represents various African-American genres. The play is an update of that, blending the early 80s style with a more modern take.
Before we get into the actors, let’s talk about the sets… wow!!! Using an LED projection screen as the background, the colorful scenes used a variety of illustration styles. Some backgrounds looked like they came out of the pages of children’s books; others were hyper-realistic. The minimalistic set pieces that were mechanically brought on and off the stage blended seamlessly into the backgrounds so that at times it was hard to tell which was a physical set piece and which was part of the projection. The effect was stunning.
The costumes and makeup were also incredibly well thought out and striking.
It’s a large all-star cast, but some performances that really stood out to me were veteran Broadway actress Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em/ Evillene (the wicked witch), whose powerful vocals brought down the house, and Avery Wilson as Scarecrow, whose rubber face and body really brought the character to life. Making her Broadway debut, Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy was also a crowd favorite, with some incredible singing pipes of her own. I do have to say though that I thought the delivery of some of her spoken lines were a little flat compared to those of the rest of the cast.
But it was the ensemble dancers, many of whom have performed on Broadway, who really captured the audience’s heart. Their energetic and captivating performance stole the scene every time they came on stage. I particularly liked the way that they became the tornado that brought Dorothy to Oz.
In the actor chatback after the show, (a tradition at Broadway in San Diego for the first Wednesday of most shows), Alan Mingo Jr. who played the Wizard, noted that the show was a brilliant example of Afro-futurism and representation. One young audience member noted how excited she was to have a joyful escapist play with people who look like her.
Now I know what you’re wondering, where in all of this did I find my Jewish angle? Well… many of the audience members were Jewish. That’s the best I’ve got for you on this one. But I think that shows celebrating culture are good for everyone and open the path for more shows celebrating other cultures as well.
The Wiz is at Broadway in San Diego only through Jan 14, so you have to get in quick or you may need to fly to New York in April.
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Sandi Masori is a food and theater reviewer for San Diego Jewish World. When she’s not covering food or theater, she helps authors self-publish, hangs out with her kids, and searches for the best sushi in town.