Score: Charlie Smalls; Book: William F. Brown. At: Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge, Munster, Ind., Phone: 219-836-3255; $36-$40. Runs through: Aug. 7
Ever since L. Frank Baum's children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz debuted in 1900, generations of authors, filmmakers and composers have put their own spin on the tale of a Kansas girl who gets whisked away via tornado to a magical land.
Before the blockbuster musical Wicked debuted in 2003, Broadway's biggest hit Oz musical was the The Wiz from 1975. Composer/lyricist Charlie Small and playwright William F. Brown's confidently took the "Great American Fairytale" of Oz and refashioned it as an African-American extravaganza.
True, The Wiz would never fully replace memories of the iconic 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz (Brown's script also heavily relies on audience familiarity with the film to get across its storytelling). But Small and Brown proudly offered up a welcoming and mainstream alternative Oz version filled with catchy tunes like "Ease on Down the Road" and "Home," making The Wiz a lasting representative of the 1970s burgeoning "Blacksploitation" entertainment movement.
Theatre at the Center's current revival of The Wiz is undoubtedly not as lavish or glamorous as the Broadway original, what with its synthesized reduced orchestrations and Bill Bartelt's industrial set that favors ghetto grit over big city sparkle. Yet Theatre at the Center still offers up a very strong production that probably gives a better sense of what made The Wiz so special on stage when compared to the weird 1978 film adaptation.
Director/choreographer Stacey Flaster has cast the show with plenty of actors who are vocal powerhouses (many of whom get applause mid-song). Flaster also doesn't let the show's energy flag except in one crucial scene: the production number "No Bad News" where cowering peons just flail around Felicia P. Fields' strutting Wicked Witch Evillene. The number oddly fizzles out, despite the enjoyable sass of Fields.
Adrianna Parson's super-fit Dorothy may look like she can defend herself, but she does get across her character's vulnerability and determination quite well.
Parson's Yellow Brick Road escorts are also well polished. Darius Colquin's limber Scarecrow, Jesse Dean Stanford's solid Tinman and especially James Earl Jones II's powerfully voiced Lion all are adept at delivering the comic jive talk timing and being able to soar with their singing.
Also great in The Wiz is Dwelvan David as the hepcat title character (a commanding vision in costume designer Brenda Winstead's ghetto-fabulous fur coat and lighting designer Tim Fandrei's eerie green lighting). Also injecting plenty of humor in The Wiz is Alexis J. Rodgers' not-always-successful-with-magic good witch Addaperle.
While certain aspects of The Wiz's may come off as dated, the show remains a fantastic fantasy that is representative of the era that spawned it. However, most importantly, The Wiz is still plenty of artful fun.