At one point in William F. Brown and Charlie
Smalls’ "The Wiz," the Gatekeeper tells Dorothy, the
Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Lion that they can’t see the Wiz;
he’s moved because of "urban renewal."
Indeed the entire 1975 musical is a kind of urban renewal. Smalls’
music and lyrics and Brown’s book took the MGM film "The
Wizard of Oz," based on L. Frank Baum’s novel, and changed
this Middle America pastoral fantasy into an African-American
urban fantasy with sly humor and lots of sass.
Dorothy may say she comes from Kansas. But the audience knows
she’s really from Chicago or New York City. Or maybe Detroit.
In fact when the show opened on Broadway in 1975, it was billed
as a "super soul musical." The original all-black Broadway
cast included Tiger Haynes, Ted Ross, Hinton Battle and Stephanie
Mills, whose career was launched by the show. The 1978 movie
cast included Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and
Lena Horne.
Coming in the wake of the Black Power and Black Pride movements,
"The Wiz" was just one of several Black adaptations
of musicals. (In 1967, Pearl Baily starred in an all-Black "Hello
Dolly!") Today, when multiculturalism is all the rage, it
is only fitting that Brooklyn Family Theatre’s "The Wiz,"
directed by Phill Greenland and Jonathan Valuckas, should feature
a diverse cast that freely mixes talented black and white performers.
Brown’s book diverges very little from the essentials of Baum’s
story. All our favorite characters are still here: Dorothy (Brianna
Taylor), Aunt Em (Kanova Johnson), the Scarecrow (Joey Del Buono),
the Tin Man (Hector Coris), the Lion (Tom Patterson), the Wizard,
now called the Wiz (Jonathan Sireger), and the good witch, Addaperle
(Jennifer Palumbo).
The big changes, however, are in the musical numbers. Dorothy
and her friends don’t follow the yellow brick road, but rather
"Ease on Down the Road" to a disco beat accompanied
by dancers. The Tin Man asks his new-found friends to "Slide
Some Oil to Me" in a bluesy tune. Evilene (Michelle Brown),
the Wicked Witch of the West, belts out the gospel number "No
Bad News."
For the most part, Brooklyn Family Theatre makes due with very
little to great effect. A few sheets of billowing fabric are
the backdrop, the Wiz’s den, the storm and magical happenings.
But this season BFT has added additional sound equipment to their
already incredible audio system – with the result that music
and voice are so well calibrated the audience doesn’t miss a
word of the lyrics – something that’s rare even on Broadway!
Brooklyn Family Theatre has also added to its staff the talented
Park Slope resident, choreographer Jamie Chandler, who has turned
BFT’s minimally staged dance routines into full-blown numbers.
Deidre Dill, Leslie August and Lynda Senisi dance up a storm
as the tornado that sets Dorothy on her adventure.
"The Wiz" is, of course, a costume designer’s dream.
And Brooklyn Family Theatre has an entire crew to create the
fanciful costumes of not only the principal characters, but also
the "Poppies," the "Mousifers" and the ever-adorable
"Munchkins."
Greenland and Valuckas, who have now co-directed three BFT productions,
seem to be in the process of assembling a stable of reliable
actors for their shows. (Taylor played several roles in last
year’s production of "Annie." Coris was Rooster in
"Annie." Patterson took the role of Daddy Warbucks
in "Annie." )
Hopefully, many of the performers in the 17-member "Wiz"
cast will find a home at Brooklyn Family Theatre in the future,
especially Del Buono, Brown, the great comic Palumbo and Ain
Rashida Sykes, who appears briefly but formidably as the very
funny Messenger and is also Taylor’s alternate. (She’ll be playing
Dorothy Oct. 31 – Nov. 2.)
Brooklyn Family Theatre’s production of "The Wiz" is
as powerful as a speeding locomotive and as buoyant as the floating
balloon that doesn’t take Dorothy back to Kansas. From Aunt Em’s
opening ballad, "The Feeling We Once Had," to Dorothy’s
lyrical closing, "Home," the show advances from scene
to scene so swiftly and smoothly you’ll barely have time to say,
"Wow!"
Brooklyn Family Theatre’s production of "The Wiz" runs
through Nov. 15, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 4 pm and 8 pm,
and Sundays at 5 pm. Tickets are $12. Brooklyn Family Theatre
performs in the Church of Gethsemane, 1012 Eighth Ave. at 10th
Street in Park Slope. For reservations, call (718) 670-7205,
ext. 2, or visit www.brooklynfamilytheatre.com.
