Review: The Wiz Tour Has Great Vocals, But Stumbles on the Road to Broadway

The pre-Broadway tour of The Wiz, which began in late 2023 and opens at the Marquis Theatre in New York City in April, is a fun diversion for the family. The score to the 1975 musical is still as vibrant as ever. In the current production, running at the Hollywood Pantages in Los Angeles through March 3, the cast is outstanding, handling their characters with ease. However, the creative team stumbles down the road with unimaginative direction by Schele Williams, choreography by Jaquel Knight, and stagecraft from a theatrically untested team out of the film world.

The original production, with its score by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown, won the Tony for Best Musical and ran for four years. The current iteration includes alterations by writer Amber Ruffin (Some Like It Hot). In a black-and-white-tinged Kansas, young Dorothy (Nichelle Lewis) suffers at a new school while mourning the loss of her parents. A tornado sweeps her away to the Technicolor land of Oz, where she gathers the Scarecrow (Avery Wilson), the Tinman (Phillip Johnson Richardson), and the Cowardly Lion (Kyle Ramar Freeman). All four feel they’re missing something and hope The Wiz (Wayne Brady) can make them whole. They’re also being tracked by Evillene (Melody A. Betts), the Wicked Witch of the West, who, unlike Elphaba from Wicked, truly is a monstrous killer.

Smalls’s songs range from dynamic production numbers like “Ease On Down The Road,” and “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” and powerful anthems including “Home” and “Believe In Yourself.” A mixture of ‘70s funk, soul, and jazz, the music remains timeless. The book contains tender moments, particularly between Dorothy and Aunt Em (also played by Betts) in the beginning, and between the four friends as they make their journey. Many of the laughs, however, struggle to rise above schtick, being too broad and jokey.

The cast is made up of phenomenal singers. Relative newcomer Lewis is endearing, as her Dorothy develops inner strength and confidence, and her voice is electric. Brady exudes lounge singer sleaze in a hilarious interpretation of the title character. Wilson is lively, Richardson is kindhearted, and Freeman is campy joy as the three companions. Betts owns the stage in both roles, tearing the roof off the theater with Aunt Em’s “The Feeling We Once Had,” and is delightfully vicious as the Wicked Witch. Deborah Cox as Glinda, the Good Witch, has a tremendous voice, but the direction to gesture every word in both of her songs creates nervous energy that’s uncomfortable and distracts from her outstanding vocals.

Ultimately, Williams’s direction lacks an underlining point of view to justify a revival, and there’s no real aesthetic sense in the production design. Williams does not give personalities to the ensemble, so those characters fade into the background. None of Knight’s dance moves dazzle; his choreography is sluggish and safe. The costumes by Emmy winner Sharen Davis (Watchmen) are bland, though both Evillene and Glinda’s dresses at least have interesting materials and silhouettes. The sets by Oscar winner Hannah Beachler (Black Panther) are basic, mostly a few Tiki Room-looking trees moving across the stage. The projections by Daniel Brodie are beautiful, but projections should lend weight to the set, not do the heavy lifting.

The Pantages Theatre is the final stop before The Wiz arrives on Broadway on March 29. If the show wants the road to Broadway to be paved with yellow brick, the creatives need to amp up their magic to satisfy New York audiences.