Monday, December 03, 2018
Ease On Down the Road: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About THE WIZ
Breaking Character: The 1978 musical The Wiz is one of the most beloved and treasured classic musicals of all time. Being a re-imagined version of another world-renowned classic, The Wizard of Oz, how can’t it be? Not to mention, the original film had a star-studded cast featuring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and many more pop culture icons of the decade.
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The Wiz was easily one of my favorite musicals growing up, I remember watching the dvd with Michael Jackson, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor until it got all scratched up. As opposed to The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz has always seemed much more urban to me, and it was always a lot more fun to watch than the original that it's based on. This article has many facts that I had no idea about, such that the producers thought Diana Ross was too old for the part. If they hadn't cast her, then we wouldn't have gotten to hear the absolutely ICONIC "Home." I think there was a lot of merit in them casting very classic Motown singers and influences, because it added a lot of soul into the classic Broadway vibe of the show. As I said before, one of the most recognizable features of the Wiz is how urban it is. From the sound of the songs, to the scenic design, and especially into the costumes. It's a lot of fun to be really familiar with the designs for The Wizard of Oz, and then to see a character like the Tin Man who has a Campbell soup can for a wrist. Another fact that was surprising, was the Michael Jackson sometimes wouldn't remove his makeup after a day of shooting because it took so long to apply. You hear about these long chair times for some of the most iconic film characters, but I don't think I would ever want to go home in it. The moment I didn't have to be in that makeup, it would be off of me.
I LOVE THIS SHOW. I grew up watching the movie adaptation so this show really hits home for my childhood. I watched the movie again this past year and the production of it wasn’t as great as it could’ve been for the talent used in the movie, but then again, it was the 70s. My high school did The Wiz a couple years ago, which was great because we have a high percentage of black students in the school, but one of the casts had a white Dorothy. This caused a major pushback from parents and students and the whole school started to say bad things about the show. Staying true to the point of the show I feel is very important. When my best friend’s younger sister saw the The Wiz Live when it aired a couple years ago, she couldn’t stop watching it. She always talked about how much she wanted to play Dorothy and that just proves the point that representation matters SO much in theater.
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