We’re not in Kansas anymore, my pretties. If you ease on down the road to the new Broadway-bound revival of “The Wiz,” be forewarned that there are no flying monkeys, no Toto and no ruby slippers.
The land of Oz has undergone a glitzy makeover in this bubbly revival of the 1975 R&B trailblazer in a pre-Broadway tryout at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theater.
Schele Williams’ glitzy style-over-substance production prefers vocal pyrotechnics over character development which makes the staging flashy but also draggy.
To be sure, the narrative (book by William F. Brown with new material by Amber Ruffin) gets upstaged by the glittering sets (Hannah Beachler) and sparkly costumes (Sharen Davis) as our girl Dorothy (Nichelle Lewis) hits the bricks flanked by the Scarecrow (Avery Wilson), Tinman (Phillip Johnson Richardson) and Lion (Kyle Ramar Freeman), who all camp up a storm. The nonstop scenery-chewing is fun at first but it eventually falls flat.
You may well find yourself pining for the precious pooch of yore. This reviewer actually missed the evil flying monkeys responsible for many a childhood nightmare.
But more than all of that, there is a sense of emotional truth missing from this jaunt to Oz. Most of the performances skim the surface of the characters, the songs are mostly forgettable and the pacing feels choppy. Make no mistake, the cast can sing beautifully but there is no yearning underneath all that belting.
The over-the-top numbers here, such as Melody A. Betts’ rafter-shaking turn as Evillene, the creepy Wicked Witch, would feel even more thrilling if there were some room for emotional resonance as well. Betts’ “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” interlude is one of the few memorable numbers.
R&B singer Deborah Cox, who as Glinda is decked out like a glittering disco ball with feathers, also has pipes and charisma but the part is so underwritten it doesn’t really fit in the story.
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Since we never feel very attached to Dorothy and her chums, this feels like a bumpy almost three-hour journey punctuated by predictable real estate gags and Disney jabs. Ruffin does nail some sly bits of jostling banter and one-upmanship among Dorothy’s crew that makes the characters feel a little more real. More of that vibe would be welcome.
As it is, the charm is fitful as the Emerald City dance party feels never-ending and the wonderfully funky diva poppies don’t live up to their promise. That’s a pity because JaQuel Knight’s choreography is mesmerizing and the dancers are uniformly impressive, flying from one lithe pose to the next, but the movement doesn’t feel connected to the momentum of the show.
Even the Wiz (Wayne Brady), a film-flam man who puts all his magic tricks in storage at the end of show, makes very little impression on the viewer. The most relatable sentiment here is that some of us end up agreeing with Dorothy. There’s no place like home.
Contact Karen D’Souza at [email protected].
‘THE WIZ’
Book by William F. Brown with additional material by Amber Ruffin, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, presented by BroadwaySF
Through: Feb. 11
Where: Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco
Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes, one intermission
Tickets: $55-$172 (subject to change); www.broadwaysf.com
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