The Wiz is Wondrous

Well I got a chance to chat with friend of The Matinee Tony and Grammy Award winner Alex Lacamoire when I went to see The Wiz which is playing at New York City Center as part of their summer Encore series. Alex as the musical director, along with Thomas Kail, director, and Andy Blankenbuehler, choreographer, has brought something very special to the New York stage. These three worked together in the same capacities on In the Heights which won the Tony for Best Musical in 2008. I call them the holy trinity. It seems everything they touch is golden. (Alex also worked with Andy on the dance arrangements for 9 to 5 which is currently on Broadway.)

The Wiz performers are electric. There's not a slacker on the stage. Not that there weren't standouts. Grammy winning singer Ashanti makes her NY stage debut as Dorothy. She plays the part with childish innocence. I thought she played it graciously low key, leaving the big performances for those playing stronger characters. Her voice is angelic, a joy to the ears. The big performances are by LaChanze who plays Aunt Em and Glinda the Good Witch, Dawnn Lewis as Addaperle the Good Witch of the North and Tichina Arnold as Evillene The Wicked Witch of the West. All give incredible performances and own the stage. And the gorgeous Orlando Jones as the Wizard is a neon green bundle of energy. The Scarecrow (Christian Dante White), Tinman (Joshua Henry) and Lion (James Monroe Iglehart) are all well-cast. One other performance that stood out for me was Juson Williams as the Gatekeeper. He steals the scene as he pompously hands out the green glasses to Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion as they enter the Emerald City. It's a small part but very memorable. He also plays one of the adorable Munchkins who wear inverted laundry baskets covered with the laundry that has blown in from the tornado. The laundry baskets conceal stools that enable these average-size actors to move freely on stage and appear munchkin-size. They also wear fright wigs adorned with clothespins. And the yellow brick road is depicted by the dancers wearing yellow high tops. All very clever. The choreography is spectacular. Andy Blankenbuehler is the new Fosse. His work has such a modern signature look to it. I would say he's probably my favorite living Broadway choreographer. The tornado ballet is absolutely amazing with the dancers embodying the storm. And not only is he good at creating the moves, he's great at casting his dancers who are the cream of the crop, including one of the finalists from last year's tv show "So You Think You Can Dance" the fabulous Will (William B. Wingfield). The score is wonderful including "Ease on Down the Road", "Everybody Rejoice" and "Home". And our Alex conducts on an elevated platform and is on stage throughout the show. I've said it before, I'll say it again, he is one of the nicest show biz people I've ever met. One of the nicest people I've ever met, period. I can only wish for him an incredible career.

It's a shame that this is a limited engagement since it's one of the best musicals I've seen in recent months. It's definitely Broadway-worthy and hopefully we will be seeing it there. I would love to take my daughter to see it. I did take my 11 year old friend, Evan, and he loved it. (There are pictures of Evan with Alex, Ashanti and Juson on The Matinee Gallery, page 16.) So if you're planning a trip to NY between now and July 5th, run and get your tickets before it whizzes on down the road.