"So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard?" The Wiz at Curtain Call

[waterwind2266]

Hmm... It's certainly an interesting concept designing him like KISS.

[XDeathXKingXGTRider]

I remember when I was the Wiz in my school play. I love this song!

[Salieri1760]

I love the entrance and the music for it and his voice is pretty good (no thanks to the mic) but the costume and make up looks like if Criss Angel dressed up as The Crow for Edward Scissorhands on ice

Besides that I liked it

[MGamerkid]

WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!dont get me wrong he sings awesome but whats with the costume is he sopposed to be THE WIZ or DarkVader ?????????

[JewelzFinazzo]

The Wiz with a cast full of white people??? funny!!!

[Whiirp]

@JewelzFinazzo haha yeah I'm in it right now and the only black person in it is the Lion XD

[MaskedMan66]

What are you, a racist? lol

[SoupVamp108]

Thats not being racist. The Wiz is the wizard of oz with an African American context. Doing this show with a full cast of white people is racist they should have done the wizard of oz instead but to be honest i really dont give a crap

[MaskedMan66]

The "lol" was meant to be an indication of flippancy; I did not seriously mean what I said.

They "should have" done "Wizard?" That's as may be. However, they wanted to do "The Wiz" and I don't blame them; I'd like to be in it myself, despite being Caucasian.

[MaskedMan66]

And to be sure, many, many years ago I saw a production of "Wizard" (not the MGM version) with a black girl playing Dorothy, so if that's allowed, then white folks in "The Wiz" is allowed.

[SoupVamp108]

But The Wizard of Ozwasnt created to be for the African american culture. It was just a general adaption of the book. I'm just saying that if they took the japanese version of cinderella and,made it into a movie called "Japanese Cinderella" and filled with not one Japanese person i would have a problem.

[MaskedMan66]

L. Frank Baum wrote his books for everybody.

A movie, yes, because movies have the resources to find and hire just the sort of people they want. But school drama departments and community theater groups have to take what they can get.

[SoupVamp108]

So still why didnt they do The regualar Wizard of Oz? it really makes no sense to me

[MaskedMan66]

I think it's quite simply that they WANTED to do "The Wiz."

And not to split hairs, but what do you mean by "regular?" I'm guessing you mean the stage version of the MGM movie, but there are at least five other stage plays, including one made in Canada in 2000, and there's been a revival of the 1902 Broadway smash.

Also, if the director wanted to stick to the book, it's interesting to note that "The Wiz" follows Baum's plot more closely than MGM's "Wizard."

[SoupVamp108]

@MaskedMan66 But still The Wiz was created for African American people to play the parts and doing it any other way just isnt right. Like i said how are you going to do "Japanese Cinderella" with no Japanese people? Just saying

[MaskedMan66]

So you're saying no black people should ever be in the "traditional" version? Eartha Kitt played the Wicked Witch in a touring production of the MGM version, which also starred a black actor as the Lion.

As for this "Japanese Cinderella," how often have you ever heard of a production of "The King and I" which featured actual Thai performers? If you have a shortage of a certain ethnic type, then you make allowances.

Even in the movie, King Mongkut was Russian and Tuptim was Puerto Rican!

[SoupVamp108]

You make a nice point but your still not getting what im saying The gist of what im saying is why take an African American retelling and have no African Americans in it?? What is the point in that? Its okay to make allowances but the entire cast was a freaking allowance. And as for the "traditional" version nobody said their cant be blacks it may not be done alot but it has been but ive never seen a professional version of the Wiz wit only white people

[MaskedMan66]

Which is precisely what I was talking about before; this wasn't a professional production. In community theater you have to work with what ya got. These people wanted to do "The Wiz." and were, I'm sure, fully aware of the oddity of it.

I figure as long as there's no outcry from the black community (a few chuckles, maybe) or an protest by the NAACP outside the theater during the performance, all is well.

[SockBoy65]

Dig that crazy KISS make-up. :)

[spanishmike678]

This Wiz KISS's ass....... he's supposed to be a big black guy from omaha

[BBoyInferno2k3]

Actually from Atlantic City, Herman Smith and he was a skinny black guy Richard Pryor in a big silver head ^_^ Oscar Diggs or Professor Marvel was the old white fella from Omaha

[23powell26]

Wrong. The play and the movie adaptation differ greatly in interpretation of the original.

[BBoyInferno2k3]

Acually you can't really say I'm wrong. Many adaptions of this. I own every oz book and comic adaption as well as movies. I know the wiz play is based more or less off the original L. Frank Baum story. But my facts are true, I've done both the wiz and wizard of oz plays. But when I did the wiz we did it based off the movie. I know my Oz stories lol

[MaskedMan66]

You used the movie script? How'd you manage that?

[MaskedMan66]

Herman Smith is exclusive to the movie version of "The Wiz"; in the stage version, he's a showman from Omaha.

[MaskedMan66]

Come to that, Professor Marvel is exclusive to the MGM version.

[rocknrollrosie]

whoa

the wiz looks way diff than im used 2

like if Michael jackson joined KISS

[anactornamedseth93]

This isnt The Wiz, its the Gatekeeper, I am in a production that opens Thursday and our Gatekeeper sings this song

[dancingstarlisa]

its sang by the wiz in the stage script, hence y its different for each performance!

[babbagecabb]

that's just dumb........

its supposed to be the wiz

the lyrics don't even make sense with it being the gatekeeper

[anactornamedseth93]

well, the gatekeeper was singing saying "so you wanted to meet the wizard" as he was bringing them to the wiz's chamber

[babbagecabb]

The lyrics dont make sense because he sings about turning them into a frog/lizard, his magic powers, etc.

That kind of "creative license" can get a school into a lot of trouble

[anatnominuk]

Those are the correct lyrics, From '75 B'way play The Wiz he's is a salesman from Omaha. traveled to Oz by accident when his hot air balloon drifted off course. The people of Oz had never seen such a sight and proclaimed him Wizard. Not wanted to disappoint them, he assumed the role, and had a great city built. He then had everyone in the city wear green glasses, and in time, the people came to believe the city was made of emeralds. Even Adelpearl's song "He's the Wiz" refers to his powers.

[anatnominuk]

That really doesn't make sense for him to sing the song. with the lyrics The Wiz is singing about himself . The gate keeper is the comic relief hence the lines "I fall for that trick every night"

[SOFLYNOLIE1]

wtf iz up with the whole casting of the show. the only good one iz Dorothy. Who the heck did the wiz costume>:-0...and the wiz kuldnt sing 2 save his life itz krazy

[SOFLYNOLIE1]

no1 ever does thw wiz justice. why dont u guyz just stop.

[babydollrox]

I think my show does - Jellicoe Theatre, Bournemouth, last week of November if you want to see The Wiz done justice!

[SquallHaruAyriss]

You're damn right it did! Then again my opinion is biased seeing as I was the one playing The Wiz on most of the performances XD

[babydollrox]

Lol yea that that Tom Giles was the better Wiz by far in our production... ;)

It was a truly awesome show, I'm so gutted its over!

[SquallHaruAyriss]

Hey, that hurts... :(

But yeah, it's an awesome show and if anyone gets the chance to do a production of it no matter where it is, then they should go for it.

[babydollrox]

I'm kidding Matt you did a fantastic job! It was an incredibly awesome show I would love to have the opportunity to do it again some day!x

[beatingheartsbri]

not bad at all

[beatingheartsbri]

not bad at all

[videochick91]

Is it me or does he sound like Kermit the frog? Other than that, good performance

[ofcvideos]

it's u

[musicaltheatreman198]

Very original on "The Wiz"'s look. His vocals are bad, though. Love the green steam effect. Great choreography, alson

[pengallow]

who decided that the Wiz should look like a bad impersonation of Lionel Richie? Okay on vocals, though.

[CrazyJoeThe59th]

why is the wiz mareline manson

[Dannynelsonstinks]

That's cool.

[ZipotheThird]

why dose the wiz look like a member of kiss?

[MaskedMan66]

Because he's dressed in black, has wild black hair and monsterish black and white makeup. Pretty elementary, really.

[Man1acTrumpet3r]

no pit whatsoever, i did The Wiz last year, i play trumpet im a sophomore in high school now. ew

[RXC152]

The pit is backstage.