Jump to content

NBC Planning Live TV Version of The Wiz Musical


DramatistDreamer

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 67
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

"You don't want to go in there"  LOL, that Emerald City sequence was stuck in my head for days!

 

I thought Elijah Kelley as the Scarecrow was very underrated, his comedic timing, though understated was good, particularly when he kept trying to drag Dorothy away from Tin Man (Ne-Yo's singing was so good!).  I know people are comparing Kelley to MJ but people forget 2 things:

1.  It's Michael Jackson, who was one of a kind.

2.  The movie version was a totally different vehicle from any live version.  In film, you have the benefit of doing multiple takes until a scene or sequence is shot to the director's satisfaction.  If the Director wants to do 23 takes of the same scene until it is the way he/she wants it, so be it.  On stage, you only get 1 single take and you have to roll with whatever comes your way.   In the critiques of The Wiz Live, I wished people would've remembered that.

 

Speaking of the stage, in the B'way version, I read that Toto didn't make the journey with Dorothy to Oz, so I'm not sure what all the fuss was over but the memes were pretty funny.:lol:

I think some of the confusion is in the fact that not many people saw the B'way staging while tons only know the movie version.  Also, at the very beginning, Kenny Leon said that this version would be a fusion of the two previous versions (stage & screen) but later began saying that this latest version would be using the B'way musical as it's template.  I think most people didn't realize that.

 

When the musical goes on Tour on the stage, I think will be a true test and an opportunity.  I imagine they'll be using more Broadway babies in the roles that were filled by stars (I thought Aduba was wonderful, by the way!).  And I think with engagement from a live audience, performers like Elijah will shine even more.  If Shanice Williams stays on as Dorothy, I can see her growing as a performer over time, she did very well, carrying so much material her first time out.

And I wish the production could utilize Stephanie Mills a bit more, she was perfection as Aunt Em but if they could keep her when the production hits the stage, perhaps they may rotate her in different roles, if she wants it, anything to keep her with the production.

 

By the way, I saw it on NBC.com without commercials (hooked up my laptop to my TV) and it was so much better without the 101 commercial breaks, which makes me think that the staged/B'way version will be even better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Natalia is back. GH is becoming ff material once again. It's a shame they can't keep up the momentum they had two weeks ago. Lucky is a loser and so is Frank.
    • I wouldn't say Y&R has the smallest budget, nor would I say DAYS has more sets. Y&R has been adding more sets⏤which is great, given their lack of an overnight set crew⏤and they're not the same set re-dressed as something else (like DAYS historically has been doing for years).
    • That’s exactly it. Entire episodes are just two people sitting in a restaurant yammering on about CEO’s or getting coffee in the middle of the night at the always empty Crimson Lights. Where did I say anything that’s wrong?
    • Anita got over being sad and guilty like whiplash. I guess she just needed a Vernon pep talk. Yeah I’m sorry I don’t see the chemistry with nu-Ted and Nicole at all. When Maurice was in the role you could truly feel they loved each other so much and couldn’t keep their hands off each other. I just don’t see this meek at portrayal giving any sort of chemistry. Couldn’t have said it better myself. I wonder how people felt in the 80’s when Drake replaced Wayne as Roman.
    • No question that DAYS has the lowest budget of all the soaps. The only way to overcome that is with good writing, which we are getting on DAYS as of late. More movement? I have to agree. DAYS just feels like it has more energy and actual physical movement among the characters. Scene after scene on Y&R is with two characters sitting at a restaurant table or on a couch having a conversation. It's static -- and it's lazy.
    • JC memoirs Not Young Still Restless she writes negatively about some people. VR memoirs The Women Who Raised Me from what I remember did not really delve into her time on Y&R. VR "novels" Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva and The Young and the Ruthless: Back in the Bubbles its pretty clear who some of the characters are based on.
    • -- I agree that they've taken Leslie's camp as far as they can take it. That works only if there's also a real character there, and we're not seeing that. Every scene with her is game-playing. -- Laura couldn't call IT to have that Notes program straightened out? I get it -- we need to see that Eva is desperately needed, even though she was hired with nothing on her resume that told us she was a tech wiz. But the only person Laura could think of to call was Eva??? -- I would feel more sympathetic to Eva if she didn't continue to cover for her mother, essentially playing both sides. Again, I get it -- we need to see a daughter traumatized by a lifetime of control by her nutjob mother. Still, there's nothing about Leslie that Eva should side with at this point. -- I had to LOL when Anita said she has to call her agent to call off the reunion concert. Huh??? You mean a concert was planned and scheduled even though we haven't heard these three sing a single damn note together?  -- Are we supposed to be taking Anita's side in this Anita vs Sharon battle? Because I'm not there. One day Anita is sad, despondent, and regretful, and the next she's firing back at Sharon and Tracy that "You two are as much to blame as I am."  -- I agree that we need to see the help hired by the wealthy on this show. It's a missed opportunity. -- I continue to like Keith D Robinson as Ted. I think he has more chemistry with Daphnee Duplaix than Maurice Johnson did.
    • https://deadline.com/2025/06/khadiyah-kd-lewis-dead-love-and-hip-hop-atlanta-star-1236425096/
    • The highest rated soap seemingly has the smallest budget. Days has more sets and movement than Y&R and they haven’t had a budget in YEARS. Also their business stories bother me significantly less than Y&R as they actually mention what their companies do from time to time and it doesn’t eat the show.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy