Michael Woody

es, I know it’s more hip to like Wicked rather than Wizard of Oz, but I’m old fashioned. Plus nobody has ever called me hip. As someone who has a collection of Wizard of Oz figures in several different styles and other types of collectibles, the highest compliment I can give the cast and crew of ‘The Wiz’ is, I’m no longer sad this wasn’t yet another production of the ‘Wizard of Oz’ but have gained a new found appreciation for ‘The Wiz’ and the version it represents. All yellow brick roads lead to the Emerald City, and I’ll gladly ease on down or follow one.

How do you find a word that means Maria?...Just one word would be an understatement as Cayleigh Capaldi nothing less than a full paragraph. A thesaurus does not even contain a word that give justice to Capaldi’s portrayal of Maria. She makes the iconic role her own, with an endearing charm and miraculous voice. Capaldi’s vocals has the strength to not only enliven the hills, but the entire planet with beautiful sounds. Maria may lack some fashion sense, but is a perfect 10 when it comes to singing.

Jordan Markus totally embodies Michael. From his distinct voice to all his signature dance moves, Jordan Markus totally embodies Michael. He’s not an easy role to bring to life, but Markus makes it look effortless. Unmarked on my bucket list is seeing Michael Jackson in concert, after seeing Markus, I can at least fill in half the box. It’s as close as anyone is ever going to get to seeing the real thing. I question if rather than bones, Markus is made of bendy straws. That would be a real ‘plastic’ surgery. He moves in ways the human body is not meant to. The dancing alone is enough to make your jaw hit the ground. Add in the vocals, which Markus also masters and chin straps should be handed out at the door to avoid widespread cases of jaw displacement.

For a show heavy in music, there’s nobody better to do all the lifting than Nick Fradiani. His voice is stronger than a Kentucky Woman (I hear they are tough). The 2015 winner of American Idol, Fradiani perfectly duplicates the magical sound of Diamond’s voice. He’s as close as you are ever going to get to hearing the real Diamond himself. Fradiani should maybe change his name to Ruby or Sapphire, because he’s a valuable gem himself.