Academy deserves better than ‘The Wiz’

When “The Wiz” opened in 1975, Broadway was having some fun (and encouraging minority employment) by doing all-black versions of established works (“Guys and Dolls,” “Hello, Dolly!”). “The Wiz” took the 1939 Judy Garland movie and made it into a lightweight script that seemed to want to do nothing but be irreverent. It won the Tony Award for best musical during one of the worst seasons ever. The 1978 overblown film version put an end to Diana Ross’ film career.

Watching it today, out of social context, it seems dated and second-rate. In addition, the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Visual and Performing Arts has decided on an interracial cast. So, jokes that were meant to poke gentle fun at being black in America — such as the line a witch speaks to an underling: “You do do windows, don’t you?” — fall flat.

Undoubtedly, the academy had no choice but to cast interracially, but given the mediocrity of the show, you wonder why the folks there chose to do this script at all. Considering that a high school actor has only four years, and the academy does only one musical a year, wouldn’t it make sense to expose the students (and Vegas audiences) to Broadway’s best?

Director Robert Connor gives the evening proper color and pomp (although there’s not enough visual difference between Kansas and Oz). The 57-member cast occasionally captures the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the dialogue. But there’s lifelessness at the show’s core.

Dorothy (Sylvia Brasuell, in a double-cast role) doesn’t seem particularly repressed by Kansas. Aunt Em (Caitlyn Cerza, also double-cast) seems to exist only so she can belt a song. Dorothy doesn’t seem affected in any way by her sudden transport to Oz. Nor does she develop any relationship with Scarecrow (the amazingly nimble Gianni Becker), Tinman (Cody Canyon) and Lion (Michael Kershaw). All this lack of character need reduces “The Wiz” to a series of connected songs (well-sung and well-danced) that have little to do with the progression of a story.

Drew Lynch pumps blood into two stop-the-show numbers as the title character. In a green fright wig, a Green Lantern suit, and high black boots, he comes across a bit Tina Turner, Elton John, and maybe even Jerry Springer. He paints a portrait of the ultimate con man. And it’s surprising to find out that this actor of depth also is a first-rate song-and-dance man.

But the students deserve better material and better coaching.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.