Allyssa Reeder — Theater Critic

As I said, the acting was amazing, but I would be remiss not to share my opinion that the standout actress was Sharon Cathrine Brown as "Older Allie." I have never seen a more nuanced and connected performance of someone with dementia. The song “I wanna go back,” which is actually sung by younger and middle Allie, made me sob as I watched older Allie move through the memories and really sell being trapped within her own mind. Her and older Nick were on the stage almost the entire show, and sometimes I would look over and she would be absentmindedly mimicking the motions of the other Allies on the stage, like she was actively remembering as the story is being told to her. It just gives me shivers to think about.

If “The Wiz” cast has nothing else, they have Vocals. Vocals. Vocals. Of course, all Broadway shows spotlight amazing singers, they’ve been chosen to tour the country for a reason. However, I have never heard singing on stage like I did at “The Wiz.” Everything from strong, clean riffs to belts slowly and steadily going up in pitch for longer than any human should genuinely have the lung capacity to produce. I got chills at every song. A funny melody? Goosebumps. An emotional ballad from Dorthy (portrayed by Phoenix Assata LaFreniere)? Goosebumps. Evillene’s villain song about never wanting to hear bad news (delivered by Kyla Jade)? You guessed it: Goosebumps.

The cast is teeming with talent, from Fradiani sounding exactly like a younger Neil Diamond to Mary Page Nance, playing Marcia Murphey, singing “Forever in Blue Jeans”in such a way that I could not tear my eyes away for even a moment. However, I kept finding myself enamored with the ensemble — 'The Noise.' In my interpretation, if the ensemble is not literal people in the scene (and even sometimes when they are), they represent the Greek Muses. Gods and goddesses of inspiration and creativity. We first see them when Neil – Now opens a book of his song lyrics. The ensemble pours out from behind him almost from thin air, wearing brightly colored outfits and singing the melodies of his past.

Everything was grand from the very beginning: the costuming, the characterizations, the dancing, the singing. Belle was adorable and her voice was so strong. The night I attended, Belle was played by understudy Grace Marie Rusnica, making her national tour debut. I loved everything about how she played my beloved Belle from her voice to her body language, and even the kindness in her eyes. She really brought life to the character I’ve been connected to for so long.