THE WIZ LIVE! — Pictured: (l-r) Ne-Yo as Tin-Man, Shanice Williams as Dorothy, Elijah Kelley as Scarecrow — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
Queen Latifah blew away memories of Wizards past. Shanice Williams, 19, burst on the scene a star with pipes as Dorothy, Mary J. Blige pulled off a showstopper (“No Bad News”) as the Wicked Witch of the West. The entire cast of “The Wiz Live!” showed real singers work best in musicals (compared to past NBC theatrical productions). Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron proved they can deliver a boffo live special.
“The Wiz Live!” blotted out unhappy memories of “The Sound of Music Live” and “Peter Pan Live!” Bringing black vernacular to mainstream musical audiences, reinventing a 1970s show for modern tastes, this “Wiz” was a treat, not a test. Great casting, terrific costumes, even a worthy new original song made it a spirited night. Can’t you feel a brand new day for TV musicals?
The Wiz was “Live-ish!” in the Mountain time zone (tape-delayed to start at 7 p.m. in primetime) but performed “live-to-tape” as they say. The heavy commercial load was likely the least popular aspect of the nearly three hours. But no matter. Ne-Yo! David Alan Grier! Elijah Kelley! All were delightful, easing on down the road. And, making a late appearance as Glinda, Uzo Aduba turned in another showstopper (“Believe in Yourself”) — a revelation for those who only know the actor as Crazy Eyes from “Orange is the New Black.”
An all=star lineup and a memorable night.
