EASE ON DOWN THE TOUR // A THEATRE REVIEW OF “THE WIZ”
BY MATEO MORENO
THE WIZ, a retelling of The Wizard of Oz told through the lens of the Black American experience, originally played on Broadway in 1975. The pre-Broadway tryout opened to mixed reviews, and success seemed shaky at first. That is, until a TV commercial aired, featuring the cast singing one of its most famous tunes, “Ease on Down the Road.” From there, The Wiz became a smashing success, playing for four years on Broadway and “Ease on Down the Road” peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Souls Chart. The lesson here? Even the savviest of critics don’t always know what the public wants, and they clearly wanted The Wiz. It’s gone on to have a very successful life in regional theatres, overseas and a classic film starring Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, Lena Lorne and Michael Jackson. Most recently, a newly re-envisioned National Tour hit the road and stopped for a limited run on Broadway last year before going back on tour. That tour premiered this past Tuesday at The Kansas City Music Hall, finishing off the 2024-2025 season. And boy, did it finish it off with a bang. From the uber colorful sets to the splashy costumes and the soaring vocals, this was a Wizard of Oz experience to be remembered. Funny enough, just like when it premiered on Broadway, the reviews to the Broadway splash last year were mixed, with over critical writing on how it wasn’t “Broadway enough.” Well, history always repeats itself and if Tuesday night’s animated and enthusiastic crowd tells us anything, it’s that once again, the critics don’t always know what the public wants. At least this critic is siding with the crowd, because this is a phenomenal trip to Oz.
Dana Cimone makes her National Tour debut here as Dorothy, and her soaring vocals (along with a boisterous Kyle Jade as Aunt Em) set the the stage perfectly for where we will be heading, talent wise. The story closely follows the original Oz story, with Dorothy spending time with her Aunt Em in Kansas and then being swept away in a cyclone, landing herself in the Wonderful land of Oz. Once there, she meets her famous three friends: The Scarecrow (Elijah Ahmad Lewis), The Tin Man (D. Jerome) and The Lion (Cal Mitchell) as well as three of Oz’s witches: There’s Glinda, the Good Witch of the South (Sheherazade), Addapearle, the Good Witch of the North (Amitria Fanae’) and finally she meets Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West (Kyle Jade pulling double duty). Addapearle and Glinda task her to head to Oz because the Wiz can help her get back to Kansas and for good measure hands over the silver slippers of their sister, The Wicked Witch of the East, who was killed when Dorothy’s house dropped on her head. After meeting her friends, they ease on down the road to Oz, where they meet The Wiz (Alan Mingo, Jr. reprising his role from Broadway), and sure enough he’s the exact snake oil salesman that every Oz is run by. But Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion are sucked in and decide to help Oz and kill the Witch, in hopes of getting what they really want.
The energy of this production of The Wiz is pulse pounding and electric; you simply can’t take your eyes off the stage for a minute. With an updated script and additional material by Amber Ruffin, the jokes have never felt fresher. The choreography by JaQuel Knight (Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”) is lively and fun and under Schele Williams’s direction, the show is swift and joyous. And the cast is phenomenal. I’ve already mentioned her soaring vocals, but Dana Cimone is a very charming Dorothy, leading the story easily. Without a solid footing, a miscast Dorothy can stop the show with a hault, and there’s no fear of that here. Her three partners in crime (Elijah Ahmad Lewis, D. Jerome, Cal Mitchell) are all fantastic singers, have great comic timing and have some dynamic dance moves. Alan Mingo Jr. is perfectly cast as The Wiz. He showcases a sleezy charm that you can’t help but love, and his wide-eyed stare is a comic gem for the ages. As the Witches, Amitria Fanae’ and Sheherazade are both fantastic, with voices from the heavens and expect comic timing. And as the classic Wicked Witch of the West, Kyle Jade brings down the house with her vocals and her sneering and creepiness on stage is a hoot to watch. This review can’t end without mentioning the costumes by Sharen Davis. They are flashy, colorful, and expertly tell the story of each character with just a glance. Make no mistake: no matter how many versions of “The Wizard of Oz” you’ve seen, this is one trip down the yellow brick road you do NOT want to miss.
GRADE: A
BASED ON “THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ” BY L. Frank Baum BOOK BY William F. Brown MUSIC AND LYRICS BY Charlie Smalls ADDITIONAL MATERIAL BY Amber Ruffin “THE EMERALD CITY” MUSIC BY Timothy Graphenreed “EVERYBODY REJOICE” MUSIC AND LYRICS BY Luther Vandross CHOREOGRAPHY BY JaQuel Knight DIRECTED BY Schele Williams STARRING Dana Cimone, Alan Mingo Jr., Sheherazade, Kyla Jade, D. Jerome, Cal Mitchell, Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Amitria Fanae’. NOW CURRENTLY PLAYING IN KANSAS CITY THROUGH SUNDAY JULY 13TH AND CONTINUING THE NATIONAL TOUR AFTER THAT. FOR KC TICKETS: BroadwayInKC.com FOR NATIONAL TOUR INFO: https://wizmusical.com/