Wed. March 7, 2007
By John Olson
This was my first viewing of The Wiz, but I bet I'd be safe in guessing that this piece, lacking the literary credentials of a Purlie or a Raisin, has always been about entertaining the audience. As an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, there are no surprises in the story and, to my taste, not a lot of particularly clever dialogue or invention in its taking of liberties with the story. There are songs, though. Upbeat, melodic ones that make no one (other than maybe someone like the Judy Garland biographer and Wizard of Oz scholar John Fricke) wish for the Arlen-Harburg songs of the Judy Garland film.
Siple's costumes also include such gems as munchkins covered in floor-length flowing gowns that nearly, but not quite, conceal the office stools on which they sit and roll around the stage, letting us in on the joke; a trio of yellow-clad ensemble members forming the Yellow Brick Road; and a Tin Man covered with soft-drink and beer labels. Together with Clay's choreography, which would have fit right in on the 1960s TV show Shindig, the effects are quite dazzling in a three-quarter-century sort of way. Though the set designed by Tracy Otwell is minimal, the production values of the costumes and the perpetual motion of Clay's dancing and Joseph's blocking make this non-Equity production still quite an eyeful and a good step forward for White Horse, whose productions on smaller stages have been a little static.
The Wiz runs through March 25 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, with Thursday and Friday performances at 7:00 p.m., Saturday performances at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $25, with student and senior tickets for $22. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Theatre Building Chicago box office at (773) 327-5252 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.whitehorsetheatre.com.
Photo: Andrew Malone, Samara Smith, Gerald Richardson and Dwight Neal
Photo by: Peapod Photo
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