Allyssa Reeder — Theater Critic

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.