Opening night, curtain not yet closed for the performance, everyone was backstage getting ready. "The Wiz" was soon to grace the stage of the Wagner High School auditorium, which was appropriately covered in graffiti for the performance.
A lighter, urban version of the classic "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," "The Wiz" definitely kept its roots in the music aspect of the musical with plenty of singing of a well-thought nodding quality, especially at 7 o' clock at night. Humor and visual puns were used liberally throughout the performance, such as a bottle of alcohol being used to represent the gift of the lion's courage, as played by senior John Martin.
Now you can't have a lion, a tin man (senior Christopher Lee), and a scarecrow (sophomore JT Weathington) without a Dorothy. Senior Ciara Anderson (aka Dorothy) was presented with silver slippers and was led through Oz by the Yellow Brick Road (senior Alizea White). During a terrifying encounter with The Wiz himself (herself?), the four characters were ordered to kill the only other wicked witch left, Evillene (senior Dechele McGee).
Once they returned successful, junior Janelle Titus (The Wiz), was exposed as "a fake, a fraud, a phony and how!" However, she still agreed to give them their promised rewards. After a runaway balloon left Dorothy stranded yet again, she managed to get home on her own. A classic happy ending, even for the old-turned-new tale.
Despite a few bumps along the road, which were taken in stride and poise, "The Wiz" went off wonderfully, almost as wonderful as an outstanding performance by Titus, The Wiz herself. An entertaining, wry, and humorous production, missing this performance would have been quite the trip-up on the Yellow Brick Road.
A lighter, urban version of the classic "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," "The Wiz" definitely kept its roots in the music aspect of the musical with plenty of singing of a well-thought nodding quality, especially at 7 o' clock at night. Humor and visual puns were used liberally throughout the performance, such as a bottle of alcohol being used to represent the gift of the lion's courage, as played by senior John Martin.
Now you can't have a lion, a tin man (senior Christopher Lee), and a scarecrow (sophomore JT Weathington) without a Dorothy. Senior Ciara Anderson (aka Dorothy) was presented with silver slippers and was led through Oz by the Yellow Brick Road (senior Alizea White). During a terrifying encounter with The Wiz himself (herself?), the four characters were ordered to kill the only other wicked witch left, Evillene (senior Dechele McGee).
Once they returned successful, junior Janelle Titus (The Wiz), was exposed as "a fake, a fraud, a phony and how!" However, she still agreed to give them their promised rewards. After a runaway balloon left Dorothy stranded yet again, she managed to get home on her own. A classic happy ending, even for the old-turned-new tale.
Despite a few bumps along the road, which were taken in stride and poise, "The Wiz" went off wonderfully, almost as wonderful as an outstanding performance by Titus, The Wiz herself. An entertaining, wry, and humorous production, missing this performance would have been quite the trip-up on the Yellow Brick Road.