Review: THE WIZ National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center

The Wiz is an all-Black musical reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The story follows Dorothy, a young girl who lives on a farm in Kansas, until a cyclone arrives, picks up her house, and blows her away to the fantastical land of Oz. In order to get home, Dorothy must go to the Emerald City to meet The Wiz. Yet she also has to avoid trouble with the Wicked Witch of the West, who seeks revenge for the death of her sister.

The original production opened on January 5th, 1975 at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It was an early example of Broadway’s mainstream acceptance of shows with an all-black cast. The show went on to win 7 Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and closed on January 28th, 1979 after 1,672 performances. In the years since, The Wiz has spawned multiple screen versions, stage revivals, and national touring productions.

For this particular tour currently playing in Durham through August 10th, it features new material written by Amber Ruffin. As someone who’s not familiar with the original script by William F. Brown, I can’t really speak to what the differences are in great detail. Although from what I’m aware of, the basic structure is mostly intact, save for where Act I ends and Act II begins. There’s also some additional reprises of certain songs. There may be a couple parts that I felt could’ve been trimmed down a bit. But for the most part, this classic story still works.

Under Schele Williams’ direction, she takes a page out of MGM’s 1939 classic film adaptation by having the scenes in Kansas in black & white while everything else in Oz is presented in glorious technicolor. Daniel Brodie’s video & projection design is not only dazzling, but at times, I was convinced that it was real scenery or a painted backdrop. Although the actual scenery by Hannah Beachler, the Oscar-winning production designer behind Black Panther, is nice too. Not to mention that Sharen Davis’ costumes are also wonderfully colorful.

The whole cast is so incredibly talented in their roles. Dana Cimone gives a very winning performance as Dorothy. She’s relatable, heartfelt, and also has quite a set of pipes. Elijah Ahmad Lewis’ Scarecrow has to be the first portrayal I've seen in any incarnation of The Wizard of Oz where the character literally feels like he’s in need of a brain, resulting in memorable work. D. Jerome is solid as Tinman, who is, of course, in need of a heart. Cal Mitchell is hilarious as the Cowardly Lion. As The Wizard of Oz himself, Alan Mingo, Jr. is so delightfully over the top. Although Sheherazade literally brings the house down with her singing as Glinda the Good while Kyla Jade gives such a scenery chewing performance as Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.

50 years later, The Wiz still endures as a crowdpleasing family favorite. Joseph Joubert’s fresh orchestrations of Charlie Small’s energetic score helps make it appealing for today’s generation. JaQuel Knight’s kinetic choreography successfully makes the songs visually appealing on the stage. Yet most of all, this musical will certainly leave audiences feeling joyful and moved at the same time.

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