The Wiz is Hands Down The Best Live Show I’ve Ever Seen

Okay, hang on, I’m still caught up in the tornado that swept me out of the theater and smacked me in the face with one of the most amazing live performances I’ve ever had the fortune of seeing in my life.

All right, now that I’ve picked my jaw up off of the ground, let’s talk about the current national production of The Wiz, a Black-led retelling of The Wizard of Oz based on the 1974 play The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by Charlie Smalls, later adapted into a 1978 film of the same name starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow.

Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy & Deborah Cox as Glinda in Believe in Yourself. Photo by Jeremy Daniel, (c) 2023

Kyle Ramar Freeman as Lion & Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy in Be A Lion. Photo by Jeremy Daniel, (c) 2023

The current run of the show has Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker as producers and also stars the legendary Deborah Cox as Glinda, whom I had an opportunity to interview about for RAGE Magazine. Wayne Brady is also taking on the role of The Wiz for the Los Angeles, with Alan Mingo Jr. of Kinky Boots fame helming the role for the rest of it. It also introduces Nichelle Lewis as an incredible Dorothy, and we’ll talk more about casting next.

Who’s Cast in “The Wiz”?

Apart from the names mentioned above, let’s talk about Melody A. Betts, who takes on the role of both Aunt Em and Evillene and has some throat that almost ripped my soul right out of my chest. This woman grew up singing soul. I say that based alone on listening to her, but this was not her first run on Broadway and she’s got a voice I’ll never forget.

Melody Betts as Evillene-Photo by Jeremy Daniel, (c) 2023

The same can be said of Avery Wilson, who took on the role of Scarecrow and was probably my favorite performance of the night. Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve slept on it and I still can’t decipher, but still. He was the perfect choice for this role and paid homage to Michael Jackson’s performance, as well.

Phillip Johnson Richardson plays the Tinman, and he isn’t new to Broadway either, with credits like Hamilton and Newsies under his belt. His approach to the Tinman was authentic and genuine, and the way he portrayed the range of emotions the character experienced — essentially going from nothing to being full of them — was felt across the entire room.

And rounding out the leads, of course, is none other than the Cowardly Lion, played by Kyle Ramar Freeman and such a good piece of comic relief. He really rounded out the main cast well, and made this already iconic character totally his own.

Kyle Ramar Freeman as Lion, Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Phillip Johnson Richardson as Tinman, Avery Wilson as Scarecrow. Photo by Jeremy Daniel, (c) 2023

Outside of that, Lewis, Cox, and Mingo Jr. all understood the assignment and showed up to tear the house down. Lewis especially was just the best Dorothy I could have ever imagined, and even though I’d never heard of her prior to the show, I’m proud of her for what she did.

Let’s Talk Production

The show was a journey from start to finish. Some technological advancements help make transitions easier as far as background images go and setting up the scene for where we are, but the physical pieces of the set that move on and off the stage are intricate, detailed, and sometimes also damn near three stories tall.

Honestly, a few times during the show, I got caught up in stupid thoughts like wondering how they traveled around with these set pieces, but the show definitely did a good job transporting us all into the world of Oz and making the whimsical world come to life.

Let’s Talk “The Wiz” Music

I sincerely wish I could get a recording of this cast’s versions of all of these songs, because I don’t think any other rendition will ever be the same for me. To be honest, I actually had never seen the movie or any other iteration of this show before, so I didn’t have any comparison opinions going into the show, but there wasn’t even so much as a flat or a sharp note throughout the entire night.

Alan Mingo Jr. as The Wiz. Photo by Jeremy Daniel, (c) 2023

Some highlight performances include “The Feeling We Once Had” by Aunt Em, “Soon As I Get Home” by Dorothy, “You Can’t Win” by the Scarecrow, “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” by the Tinman, “We’re Going to Make It,” by our four main heroes, “Believe In Yourself” by Glinda, and every iteration of “Ease On Down the Road” as they traveled.

In actuality, I’d rather just list the entire soundtrack from start to finish because it was just perfect. There really isn’t anything else I can say about it, it’s just the best Broadway show I’ve seen in San Diego, or at least tied with the performance of Rent I saw a few years ago.

Where Can I see This SHow?

If it isn’t obvious yet, I’m a huge proponent in people going to see this show, because you don’t want to miss it. Whether you’re in San Diego or elsewhere, I highly recommend you to find the closest theater with this show and fly there if you have to.

Deborah Cox as Glinda in Believe In Yourself. Photo by Jeremy Daniel, (c) 2023

If it makes it easier, as of this writing, only San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have shows left, so if you’re in California — make it happen.

Visit The Wiz Musical for more dates and information, and if you’re in San Diego, the show is here through January 14.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A LIVE RUN OF The Wiz? WHAT DID YOU THINK, IF YOU DID? OR IS IT A SHOW THAT’S STILL ON YOUR LIST? LET ME KNOW DOWN IN THE COMMENTS!