Back in the 1970s Michael Jackson and Diana Ross starred in the movie version of The Wiz which is musical rendition of The Wizard of Oz with action set in Harlem and all African American actors playing the roles. According to Wikipedia, the movie was not well received at the time, but it has become a cult classic with lots of the songs performed even to this day by show choirs and others. This Thanksgiving NBC produced The Wiz Live! a modern remake of the play and movie to follow their holiday show pattern of recent years which included Cinderella and Peter Pan, also live.
My mom decided to watch it on Hulu tonight, so intrigued I watched it with her and my brothers. It was a great cast filled with powerhouse singers of today like Queen Latifa, Mary Jo Blige, Ne-Yo, and other newer actors. The music was upbeat and entertaining as well as very well performed. The stage effects were pretty inventive. They utilized large screens to change scenery which allowed them to create multiple scenes without elaborate sets. The choreography for the dancers was well designed to fit the scenery like the use of dancers dressed as poppy flowers to make the scene more three-dimensional, and the same was true of the tornado dancers. The story is an icon of American culture being well known in the U.S., so it was a good twist on it. I would recommend watching it on Hulu or somewhere if anyone is interested in musicals, good music, or show choir.
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