July 3, 2025 • 33 mins
The Wiz has been entertaining people for 50 years and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon! This reimagining of the classic The Wizard of Oz follows the young Dorothy as she's thrust into the colorful world of Oz. Lost and looking for a way home, she sets out on a journey, making some friends along the way. There's such richness to the North American touring production of this iconic show that we couldn't wait to break it down in our The Wiz story and characters discussion!
In this Box Seat Babes podcast episode, hosts Brian Kitson and RJ Miller-Zelinko break down how the story of The Wiz differs from other stories set in the world of Oz, and how this particular production sets itself apart from previous productions of The Wiz! With so many outstanding performances in this touring show that just stopped at The Fisher Theatre as the final show of this season of Broadway in Detroit, which one stood out amongst the rest? Which character's narrative spoke the most to us? Listen in to find out!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome back fellow theater lovers to another episode of the Box Seat Babes podcast.
Today we're discussing the North American tour of The Wiz, which has arrived at the FisherTheater as the final show to this season of Broadway in Detroit.
But before we jump into the story and characters within the show, please like, follow andsubscribe to us, Box Seat Babes, on all social media platforms at Box Seat Babes.
(00:20):
Spoiler warning, we will be talking in depth about what you can expect from The Wiz.
So if you don't want to be spoiled, please pause this video and return to the land of Ozwhen you have seen the show.
However, if you're still with us, let's ease on down the road and explore the vibrantstory and characters of The Wiz.
RJ, it's always great to see you.
It feels like it's been a while since we've recorded.
Probably because it's has
(00:41):
It has been a while.
We've been busy.
We've been stockpiling episodes for people that are coming out.
We're so excited for them to see it, but it's been a while since we've gotten together totalk about a show.
ah So I do want to jump right into this one and start with what is your experience withThe Wiz?
Have you seen this before?
Do you have a history with it?
Uh, the show itself, no.
(01:04):
Like most, I think I saw the VHS movie version when I was a young child.
And then more recently when they did the live TV version, I watched that, the recording ofthat.
(01:28):
um a little while after it came out.
But even that was longer ago than I would have imagined.
It was like a decade ago, wasn't it?
Yeah, it's not as new as it feels in my brain.
As we know, or at least those who were at the show know that I don't have an extensivehistory with The Wiz at all.
(01:51):
uh When we went to go see MJ the musical, and we were, had a friend there and we weretalking about it.
She was like, you've seen The Wiz, right?
And my answer was no, I hadn't.
And I think she maybe disowned me in that moment, just a little bit.
ah
because I hadn't seen the movie and I actually did not watch the movie until I waspreparing for the interviews as we were getting closer to the show to really understand
(02:16):
what makes this show special.
And I was actually blown away at how great the Wiz, I mean, I shouldn't be surprised thatit's great, but like, I don't know where it was on my radar that I never once like stopped
to watch it.
And like I missed the live action, the live one that was on NBC somewhere along the lines.
I just had missed the Wiz.
uh
(02:39):
So it's interesting that we kind of have two different perspectives here.
You kind of have a little bit more of that, you you carbon dated yourself with the VHS.
You like to do this a lot and make us feel old when we talk about these things.
ah
I mean, we're not fooling anyone, let's be real.
At least when we get to Phantom of the Opera in a few months, can you mention the DVDinstead?
Not the VHS player.
(02:59):
Which, honestly, I don't think I saw.
I did think I saw it on DVD.
See it.
out during the DVD age.
I don't think it was on VHS.
So I'm like making sure that like, I know come Beauty and the Beast, you're gonna pull outthat VHS again and I'm gonna feel like my bones are cracking.
So.
Maybe.
Maybe.
um So it sounds like you did know a little bit what to expect when you went into the show.
(03:21):
You kind of understood the story of The Wiz, which is just honestly a retelling of TheWizard of Oz, which I'm sure you also grew up on that one because that's a classic,
correct?
Yes.
Okay, good, just had to make sure.
If you had missed the Wizard of Oz, we would have a different conversation here.
um But what did you, like what is your initial impression of kind of the story and kind ofwhat we saw last night?
(03:48):
What's your initial impression of The Wiz?
every retelling even of The Wiz seems to be different.
So when we talk about the movie, then we talk about the live version, and then the stageversion, all of them to me, and maybe my memory is just poor, which sometimes it is, uh
(04:09):
but all of them seems to be different.
Obviously modern, but modern in different ways.
Which kind of just tells me that the director and whoever was writing the book for theshow had a different vision of what they wanted it to be or how they wanted it to
(04:29):
translate, maybe to be more exciting on a live stage.
em yeah, the differences are interesting because even though, I mean, I know it's usuallyyou see things remaining.
pretty tight to what they used to be.
(04:50):
And obviously I didn't see the original cast, so I don't know.
Maybe it is exactly the same, but it just felt different than the movie and the liveversion.
I was gonna say that I agree with you.
Having watched the movie, there were certain beats I was like expecting and there was,it's quite different.
And I think one of the stark differences is right there at the beginning when we meetDorothy, she's a teenager, but in the movie, Diana Ross is like, she's an adult with her
(05:19):
own life, like a young adult, but much more adultish than the world of.
Dorothy and the Wiz that we saw on the stage, which I think really just sets the tone for,this is a very different take on it.
This is a little more of a mixture of the Wiz with the Wizard of Oz, but also trying tofind its own identity, which is probably great for the show because you don't want to tell
(05:40):
the same story over and over again.
But I do wonder if that sometimes alienates people who are expecting like a Diana Rossretelling of that film or they're expecting the live that they saw on NBC.
And this is, does it have a...
uh
personality of its own.
Yeah, and part of me, I mean, again, I don't know, because I haven't followed this tourparticularly close or even when it was in New York, but I think we're attributing a lot of
(06:09):
that to the fact that the actress playing Dorothy is a little bit shorter, a little bitsmaller, looks more, you could say, guess, immature than Diana Ross did as a young adult.
I don't know, it's hard to say if that's choice of the show or if that's just who theycurrently have cast in the role.
(06:36):
Like I would be interested to see based on a little bit more research if that was thecase.
um But based on the way the behaviors of the actors and actresses throughout the rest ofthe show, I would imagine that they do, they are intentionally having a younger Dorothy.
(06:57):
It felt very much like, cause it felt like protective older siblings with a younger sisterfor a lot of the show as we kind of journeyed through Oz.
And so I do feel like that was very much an intentional.
think there's some choices.
And as we get into some of those choices, there was a lot of intentionality behind some ofthose choices, I'm pretty sure.
Um, but I know when I was talking with both Amitria Fanaé and D.
(07:19):
Jerome, they were saying that like, this was trying to put its own mark, its own legacy onthe history of The Wiz.
Cause The Wiz has been around.
for 50 years.
It's, you we're having a 50th anniversary.
They brought it back to Broadway specifically because of that anniversary, but to be ableto kind of tell the story and bring the story to cities around the North America.
(07:41):
And you could tell where there was clearly some choices, like when we came to some of thedances and there was like, we're calling to now.
Like we're calling back to modern age.
They brought Dorothy.
uh her real world to the modern age.
And so there was definitely a lot of intentionality to some of these choices, um be itwhether people are going to like it or not, that's a different story.
(08:02):
But you did kind of see that reflected throughout the Wiz.
We're taking this from the 70s to the 2020s.
so with the, with the story, we have Dorothy, obviously goes to Oz, kind of gets trappedin this world, um, of magic, uh, and, and meet some friends along the way.
(08:26):
What about this story or just like the Wizard of Oz story at all?
What kind of like resonates with you with this, with this journey for Dorothy?
What?
Resonate?
I mean, it's that coming of age story, right?
Like, you were kind of opening, it reminds me a lot of Disney.
We're opening the story with a trauma, right?
Talking about, and it was specifically her parents or mom passing away and now beinghoused with her aunt.
(08:55):
And then having to...
at the end of the day go through hard hardship, whether that's socially, financially,mentally, um and overcome that hardship by finding some type of...
(09:16):
so we're done looking for strength within yourself.
um So, and that message to me was very clear throughout the entire thing, from the openingscene to the final scene.
Obviously, it's kind of spelled out in the final scene, but um I think that the same thinggoes for when we talk about every iteration of The Wiz, also The Wizard of Oz.
(09:43):
I mean...
it's all there.
Yeah, you have this iteration of home.
uh As we know, this show literally ends on the song home, just to really full circle.
um But yeah, I think everyone can relate to that in some way, or form.
(10:06):
I absolutely.
think that there's so many great messages in here.
And when I was talking with Amitria she had like a theme that stuck out her for everysingle character.
And I never crossed my mind when thinking about like the Wizard of Oz.
there's a value in every, every character brings a value to the story and all of them arereflective of Dorothy's journey of like having a heart.
(10:28):
She cares about her parents, you know, having the brains to figure out what to do.
Like there's having the courage to
continue on a journey when you're in a land by yourself.
Like there is a lot of themes that do stand out about Dorothy's journey that does makethis show so timeless, whether it's the Wizard of Oz or it's the Wiz or it is wicked.
(10:52):
I mean, we are kind of living in in an Oz state right now.
There's a lot of Oz stuff going around.
But truthfully, is, this is
timeless for a reason.
And that's because these messages speak to every age, every stage, whatever person isgoing through, there's something that we can pull apart and take away and use it to
reflect upon our lives and reflect about the lives of those around us.
(11:17):
um, you know, one that really struck out to me was kind of this idea of community, whichyou saw a lot with the Tin Man and the lion where they're just...
The Tin Man wants to find his heart because he's missing his family and that's hiscommunity and he's feeling lost without that.
um the lion needs to find the courage to find his family who have been taken away fromhim.
So this idea of like finding your family and finding the people that make you feel aliveum jumped out at me and really spoke to me and I thought that like this is the one that
(11:46):
like I'm taking away of like we always need to strive to make our family, make ourcommunity and make it a better place.
um So that was kind of what I took away from that.
with...
No, not at all.
Not even a little bit.
Nope.
um So this show though also does something interesting too because not only does itmodernize it but it does do the it does show the story that we all know through a
(12:13):
different cultural lens kind of infusing it with you know R &B soul um you know the movieitself is a very like urban landscape this one did a little more um
Did you get the vibes of like New Orleans kind of?
Yeah, when the scrim went up uh for that transition post tornado, I fully was expecting acityscape.
(12:38):
um And immediately I was like, okay, are we...
It was feeling Ozian in a New Orleans, downtown New Orleans.
Like I was getting funeral parade.
uh
vibes.
And then as I was watching, think in, I don't know if it was that scene or future scenes,in the background, of course, their electronic uh backgrounds, there was like a machine
(13:09):
that was all horns that was playing music.
And it felt very New Orleans, like streetscape.
um I mean, live music.
uh
But yeah, for sure I was getting like a southern feel.
I was going to say like, I didn't go to New Orleans when during Mardi Gras, but when Iwent down there, like that, that identity is so infused into the culture down there that
(13:39):
you're walking down the street on a Tuesday and you're feeling that energy and you'rehaving people play live music and you're seeing the vibrance of what life is.
And what I love about that is that taking that parallel, you know, because New Orleans hasbeen through a lot.
You know, it's been through destruction and rebuilding and, you know, the hurricane, whatwas that back in 2008?
(14:05):
Maybe, maybe even earlier than that, just Wrecked havoc but they are such a resilientpeople.
And so to see that play out with what is also the, the Ozians, you know, I guess those aretechnically in that scene, they would be the Munchkins though they don't call them the
Munchkins, know, but like seeing that, like they are celebrating the end of
(14:26):
like a dictatish ruler, like, they are resilient and they are coming back.
so I love that they were able to pull that parallel.
Cause I think that I gave for people in our society today, a better, um, a better parallelto understand, especially younger generations.
feel like they're going to see that and they're to be like, you know us, I'm calling usyoung.
(14:48):
Um, but like we see that and we can make that parallel being like, we've, we've watchedthe people.
come together in that community, but also just um not be torn apart by something that isbigger than them.
And so I loved that they were able to change that parallel into that.
But I was expecting, like you said, the urban cityscape.
(15:09):
Like I was prepared for it to be the urban cityscape as that showed up.
Yeah, in the more it went on, mean, both that scene and then when we did kind oftransition more to the Emerald City.
It did, like we talk about Wicked, um it did the costuming, which we'll talk about morelater, but just the whole thing was giving me Wicked vibes.
(15:30):
the same, the vibrance, the color, the...
Just everything about it, which I think speaks to both items, because I think Wickedprobably did steal some of their ideas from, and I think they would even say, like we were
inspired from.
things like the Wiz and the Wizard of Oz um So I think it was just proof that yeah, theytruly did go back and kind of do some recon and um from the costumes to the lighting to
(16:05):
the stage itself um was giving yeah, some funky color.
some funky color, which again, in part two, if you guys are listening to part two, we'regonna break down the costumes, the sets, all the interpretive dancing, because there was
quite a bit of interpretive dancing too.
ah I feel like the show was a lot of technical heaviness and like the story itself issomething that we all recognize, you know?
(16:29):
And so when we're talking about it, it's easy to just, we're kind of glossing over some ofthese things.
ah Because a lot of the changes happened with what we were seeing.
not the story itself.
If that makes sense, does that make sense?
Okay.
ah So with the characters then, is there any character story or just performance thatreally stood out to you um comparatively to maybe some of the others on stage?
(16:56):
I Dorothy killed it.
um Her vocal control and...
Just everything vocally was absolutely absurdly good.
Like it was just probably one of the best vocal performances I've heard all year.
(17:16):
ah
I was going to say there was definitely some songs that she did that reminded me of Heartof Stone from Six, where I was like, you have that same tonality as an actress.
Yeah, she gives, I mean, even in riffs, there was so many runs, not to get too vocallyheavy, but so many, we'd call it ornamentations, ah that were done in all of the songs,
(17:49):
really, but specifically in her solos, I was like, that is a brutal, like I did not
remember or realize how much work this actress has to do in this show.
It's a lot.
And it is, I would say, equivalent to something like six, maybe even heavier because insix, they each have a song, right?
(18:17):
And then they are in the back, quote unquote, background vocals for the rest of most ofthe show.
This, she is...
Like every other song she's leading and then she has got like three or four powerhouseballads Which is absurd um For sure had chills I think from from even the opening note
(18:43):
opening notes to the closing notes She killed it, but let's be real.
They're they were all absurdly Talented I think Glinda grew on me
Um, at the beginning, we don't see her a lot in the beginning for like literally a second,but then I did remember that her, the second to last song, I'm blanking on the title right
(19:08):
now, but it's one of my favorites.
Um, and she, she blew the roof off with that one too.
So, but yeah, they're, they're all like, I would die.
I would die to have those, the vocal cords.
Um, absolutely.
think that, uh, Dana Cimone who played Dorothy deserves a huge shout out for herperformance in this.
(19:30):
Um, even despite maybe what we think maybe have been some sound difficulties, she stillgave a performance and as they grow throughout the show.
And I think that this is something that's interesting too.
like, was it a sound issue?
Was it a casting choice?
Because she's very almost meek and small with her or with
(19:50):
her vocal range in her songs at the beginning.
Like she's very quiet and petite and then by the end when she's kind of reached this endjourney and she's discovered herself, she's going home, she's just belting these songs
that are just crazy.
And again, don't want to get too vocally.
We are going to talk about that in the next episode, but like I think that her journey toothroughout the show was from small child to woman of her own right.
(20:16):
And that was kind of a very beautiful journey and it's reflective in how she handlesherself and how she presents herself, but also how she hits those notes.
um you know, you said, Glinda Glinda's great.
Sure.
Uh, Sherazade is fantastic, but I was loving Kyla Jade as Auntie Evillene.
(20:37):
Like the, the first off this idea of having the person play Evillene that's Auntie is suchan interesting parallel.
Cause like, and I know it's done in multiple productions of this.
It's not special to this one, but having the person that is there to protect you whenyou've lost everything, be the person who was trying to destroy you and Oz.
ah while it probably isn't meant to be a parallel, it's probably just a saving on budget.
(21:03):
Um, I think it's just a, such a great, to me, it was like the people that love you canalso destroy you if you, if you don't give you, if you don't fill them with love kind of
thing, you know?
So absolutely 1000 % Kyla Jade was top tier for me of this show.
(21:23):
Loved her performance.
She was hilarious.
She was great.
I love her.
But unfortunately, you know what's Because you heard about it all night from both me andthe guests that we brought.
But D.
Jerome as Tin Man.
Woo!
Woo!
That was a great performance.
(21:43):
Great performance.
10 out of 10.
No notes.
I mean, I can't argue.
I also had a friend not sitting with us, who also, when we were talking about theperformance, even at intermission, he was her standout performer.
She said, Tim man, that's where it's at.
(22:05):
I, you know, then I turned to you guys and you said the same thing.
So, I mean, obviously, absurdly talented, the dancing.
I do think it helps that he is playing a role that like is supposed to be pulling on yourheartstrings, right?
Like I don't know where my family is.
(22:25):
I'm heartless.
I need to find them.
You know what I mean?
Like comparatively to like, I don't have a brain or I don't know if you know, not thatthose aren't like serious, but but yes, I did.
I did see that one coming.
But also, you know, I do want to make a few notes here that, um, Dorothy, this was herdebut.
(22:46):
like insanely talented straight off the gate.
Um, when I spoke with D Jerome, he was mentioning that he had previously been in MJ themusical.
he had been in Hamilton, but mostly in dancing parts.
This is his first time having a significant role in a singing role at that.
And so sometimes you're, you're kind of sitting there and you're just like, I wonder whatit's going to be like, cause maybe you're nervous.
(23:10):
Maybe you're not.
that he was hitting notes that were just looks, he made them look so easy on stage when Iwas like, that note is ridiculously hard for the length or the note or the, it just
sounded so pristine.
You weren't wavering.
And I was like, this is somebody who has immense talent and it's finally getting toshowcase that on stage.
(23:30):
So like that itself is, is a brilliance of it as well.
Yeah, and that's I mean how often do we run into things I think of the same thing
right when an understudy comes on.
Like someone who you literally may never hear sing or see dance uh that much, they're justkind of in the background and then all of a sudden they are front and center and they are
(23:55):
equally as talented as the next and it's absurd because these people are just...
I mean, casting is so hard and it really is like
director discretion, right?
mean, Broadway level, have casting boards and they have casting directors specifically,but...
(24:18):
can't even imagine being in this profession because it is so...
the talent runs so deep, and this is just proof of that.
Truly, like, cause I have the tour page pulled up and I'm looking through there.
was like, you know, Elijah Lewis killed it as Scarecrow, Cal Mitchell killed it as Lion.
Of course, Alan Mingo Jr.
(24:39):
as the Wiz was a standout for the entire crowd.
They loved him.
There wasn't a single person here that was strong and there's a huge cast.
The ensemble is huge.
There's lots of people, lots of different parts moving here.
And there's just the same amount of talent that whoever cast the show deserves a raise.
and should cast every show from here on out because they did a fantastic job of findingtrue talent to represent the Wiz on stage.
(25:05):
Um, I am interested though, because having spoke with Amitria Fanaé who was Addaperle,which Addaperle um, for those who haven't seen the show, Addaperle is kind of the witch
that takes Galinda's spot in like welcoming, um, Dorothy to Oz.
And then she kind of shows up at the end.
Um, which she, she's fantastic.
She has a wonderful voice, but her, she's the understudy for Evillene.
(25:30):
And in my head I was thinking, I was like, is Evillene that different?
if she takes over or is she able to like code switch that much when it comes to the roleand the singing.
And so that also has to factor into when you're making these decisions as casting as wellis kind of what I'm getting at.
And like the fact that you're thinking of all those things, know, sweet little Addaperlecan turn into boisterous Evillene is, it doesn't cross my mind as a possibility, but
(26:01):
clearly she could do it, you know?
Yeah, yeah, and I think even in a couple of the ensemble strong pieces I was just kind oflooking at the ensemble um and there were some
uh women who were distinctively shorter than others and it literally immediately in theback of my mind I was like, okay, they there's no way that that is not an understudy for
(26:23):
Dorothy, you know what I mean?
Like there's intention behind like the tracks that every potential understudy or standbycould run um and as we know like when you like you were saying if you bump Addaperle to
Evillene
That then bumps someone into Addaperle, that then bumps someone into wherever they'recoming from.
(26:45):
So the number of tracks, for those of you who don't know what tracks is, it's kind of justlike a set of roles that you might essentially play at one time, uh most often in ensemble
roles.
uh But let's say I'm in an ensemble track one, or whatever the name is, and now I'm in theEvillene track.
(27:09):
which would mean that I'm Aunt Em and Evillene, right?
So yeah, it's insane to think that all of these things have to be thought through andprobably, like even in the audition, you're probably singing through all of those things
because you want to make sure that they can do it.
So it's intense.
(27:30):
And like, this is something that like, understand now why community theaters don't haveunderstudies because you would have to consider all of that.
Like, cause in my head, like I go back to when you were in Sweeney Todd, I was like, well,what happens if someone's sick?
Like what happens if someone can't make it?
And in my head, there's, really no one to cover your part, but like, there's a lot oflike, you actually have to have like a full-time job to really think about like who, if in
(27:52):
a pinch, who could replace RJ as the Beadle And this one, like you said, everybody kind ofhas a backup role on.
When you're going down the list everyone kind of has like an understudy for this characterand then this person's the understudy for that character when they make it's kind of like
that shuffleboard as it goes through
Yeah, yeah, and obviously lower level, I mean even professional quote unquote or amateurprofessional theater probably don't have too many understudies um or they have like
(28:20):
completely unassociated folks as understudies so they might just be hiring someone to tobe on book um in case of of something being needed but community level yeah you're kind of
sunk.
You
That's usually when shows get cancelled or something, you know, somebody's on stage, onbook or something like that.
(28:44):
sure, for sure.
ah Before we wrap this up though, I just kind of wanted to get an impression of what youthought of the chemistry, specifically of our main four, because ah I do think that there
was a wonderful chemistry.
uh As they were kind they felt very much like a family, they felt very much like friends.
I loved every time they did Ease on down the road and they like linked their armstogether.
(29:04):
What did you think of that chemistry of the cast?
Yeah, I would say it seems good.
I'm interested.
I don't know what number stop this is for them together.
uh But even...
Because obviously throughout the whole show we know they're acting, right?
And when I think of chemistry, think like I'm talking like deep chemistry, like offstagealmost chemistry because that truly...
(29:31):
We have seen where if your offstage chemistry is good, your onstage chemistry is...
three times as good.
And so, it feels more authentic.
It doesn't feel like acting.
um I often, again, I think of Wicked and the women that play the two leads often are very,very good friends or become extremely good friends in real life because they're playing
(29:57):
good friends.
um And I will say at the closing number or even the current call number,
is when it became most apparent to me that I do think that the chemistry was very tightamongst the few of them.
uh Of course, you might have someone that you resonate more closely with, especially whenthere's a larger, when there's four of you, because also I'm not sure on their ages and
(30:26):
that I'm sure could play a role as well, but...
Yeah, you couldn't tell.
um They were very in it to win it, so to speak.
I was just trying to look it up real quick without shaking my game boxes too much andmaking the camera flicker, but I do think we're early into the tour.
I think like we're not the first stop, but we're early into it.
(30:48):
um Like within the past couple of months.
like, it feels like the chemistry either was there or it was, or it's just, they'velatched onto each other very quickly, which is understandable.
This is a...
very emotional show that like, could you not just latch onto each other?
(31:08):
Which again, correct me if I'm wrong, that's true with almost any show that you're doingtogether, be it community, pro-professional, like you become a family very quickly because
you're kind of trauma bonded in this experience together.
I mean, you know, we see the end result, right?
We see the performances, but on the back end, even during performance days and weeks,like, they're still going to rehearsals.
(31:34):
They're still meeting with each other all of the time.
They're still doing, they're doing PR together.
Some of them are typically living together, depending on, you know, if it's an equity ornon-equity show.
You are, it's basically like college, and these are your...
roommates, they're your, you suitemates, they live on your floor.
(31:55):
anyone who's lived on campus knows, like, even if you're not trying to get to knowsomebody in that space, you probably do.
You know them pretty well.
Because that's just the nature of the beast.
And truly, when you're touring, that is, these people become your family, they become verytight.
You know, having done a lot of interviews for, uh, for these shows, they're getting up at,you know, usually about 10 o'clock our time, nine o'clock, wherever they're at usually,
(32:24):
um, to do interviews via the computer, get ready for events.
Then they're going to the events.
And then they even said after shows, there's always somebody going out.
And so learning to make the choice between like, am I going out with these people?
And you want to, because the idea of that community, which, you know, kind of ties us alltogether is so strong and you don't want to feel alone on the road.
(32:45):
And so you do tend to just push your boundaries a little bit and you're with these peopleand you do tend to just become a family in the end.
So with that, are running out of time, but look out for part two of our Wiz discussion.
We'll be continuing to explore the staging, music, and costumes of the wonderful world ofOz, as well as giving our final verdict.
(33:05):
Thank you again for joining us here in our box seats.
Till next curtain call.
Welcome back fellow theater lovers to another episode of the Box Seat Babes podcast.
Today we're discussing the North American tour of The Wiz, which has arrived at the FisherTheater as the final show to this season of Broadway in Detroit.
But before we jump into the story and characters within the show, please like, follow andsubscribe to us, Box Seat Babes, on all social media platforms at Box Seat Babes.
(00:20):
Spoiler warning, we will be talking in depth about what you can expect from The Wiz.
So if you don't want to be spoiled, please pause this video and return to the land of Ozwhen you have seen the show.
However, if you're still with us, let's ease on down the road and explore the vibrantstory and characters of The Wiz.
RJ, it's always great to see you.
It feels like it's been a while since we've recorded.
Probably because it's has
(00:41):
It has been a while.
We've been busy.
We've been stockpiling episodes for people that are coming out.
We're so excited for them to see it, but it's been a while since we've gotten together totalk about a show.
ah So I do want to jump right into this one and start with what is your experience withThe Wiz?
Have you seen this before?
Do you have a history with it?
Uh, the show itself, no.
(01:04):
Like most, I think I saw the VHS movie version when I was a young child.
And then more recently when they did the live TV version, I watched that, the recording ofthat.
(01:28):
um a little while after it came out.
But even that was longer ago than I would have imagined.
It was like a decade ago, wasn't it?
Yeah, it's not as new as it feels in my brain.
As we know, or at least those who were at the show know that I don't have an extensivehistory with The Wiz at all.
(01:51):
uh When we went to go see MJ the musical, and we were, had a friend there and we weretalking about it.
She was like, you've seen The Wiz, right?
And my answer was no, I hadn't.
And I think she maybe disowned me in that moment, just a little bit.
ah
because I hadn't seen the movie and I actually did not watch the movie until I waspreparing for the interviews as we were getting closer to the show to really understand
(02:16):
what makes this show special.
And I was actually blown away at how great the Wiz, I mean, I shouldn't be surprised thatit's great, but like, I don't know where it was on my radar that I never once like stopped
to watch it.
And like I missed the live action, the live one that was on NBC somewhere along the lines.
I just had missed the Wiz.
uh
(02:39):
So it's interesting that we kind of have two different perspectives here.
You kind of have a little bit more of that, you you carbon dated yourself with the VHS.
You like to do this a lot and make us feel old when we talk about these things.
ah
I mean, we're not fooling anyone, let's be real.
At least when we get to Phantom of the Opera in a few months, can you mention the DVDinstead?
Not the VHS player.
(02:59):
Which, honestly, I don't think I saw.
I did think I saw it on DVD.
See it.
out during the DVD age.
I don't think it was on VHS.
So I'm like making sure that like, I know come Beauty and the Beast, you're gonna pull outthat VHS again and I'm gonna feel like my bones are cracking.
So.
Maybe.
Maybe.
um So it sounds like you did know a little bit what to expect when you went into the show.
(03:21):
You kind of understood the story of The Wiz, which is just honestly a retelling of TheWizard of Oz, which I'm sure you also grew up on that one because that's a classic,
correct?
Yes.
Okay, good, just had to make sure.
If you had missed the Wizard of Oz, we would have a different conversation here.
um But what did you, like what is your initial impression of kind of the story and kind ofwhat we saw last night?
(03:48):
What's your initial impression of The Wiz?
every retelling even of The Wiz seems to be different.
So when we talk about the movie, then we talk about the live version, and then the stageversion, all of them to me, and maybe my memory is just poor, which sometimes it is, uh
(04:09):
but all of them seems to be different.
Obviously modern, but modern in different ways.
Which kind of just tells me that the director and whoever was writing the book for theshow had a different vision of what they wanted it to be or how they wanted it to
(04:29):
translate, maybe to be more exciting on a live stage.
em yeah, the differences are interesting because even though, I mean, I know it's usuallyyou see things remaining.
pretty tight to what they used to be.
(04:50):
And obviously I didn't see the original cast, so I don't know.
Maybe it is exactly the same, but it just felt different than the movie and the liveversion.
I was gonna say that I agree with you.
Having watched the movie, there were certain beats I was like expecting and there was,it's quite different.
And I think one of the stark differences is right there at the beginning when we meetDorothy, she's a teenager, but in the movie, Diana Ross is like, she's an adult with her
(05:19):
own life, like a young adult, but much more adultish than the world of.
Dorothy and the Wiz that we saw on the stage, which I think really just sets the tone for,this is a very different take on it.
This is a little more of a mixture of the Wiz with the Wizard of Oz, but also trying tofind its own identity, which is probably great for the show because you don't want to tell
(05:40):
the same story over and over again.
But I do wonder if that sometimes alienates people who are expecting like a Diana Rossretelling of that film or they're expecting the live that they saw on NBC.
And this is, does it have a...
uh
personality of its own.
Yeah, and part of me, I mean, again, I don't know, because I haven't followed this tourparticularly close or even when it was in New York, but I think we're attributing a lot of
(06:09):
that to the fact that the actress playing Dorothy is a little bit shorter, a little bitsmaller, looks more, you could say, guess, immature than Diana Ross did as a young adult.
I don't know, it's hard to say if that's choice of the show or if that's just who theycurrently have cast in the role.
(06:36):
Like I would be interested to see based on a little bit more research if that was thecase.
um But based on the way the behaviors of the actors and actresses throughout the rest ofthe show, I would imagine that they do, they are intentionally having a younger Dorothy.
(06:57):
It felt very much like, cause it felt like protective older siblings with a younger sisterfor a lot of the show as we kind of journeyed through Oz.
And so I do feel like that was very much an intentional.
think there's some choices.
And as we get into some of those choices, there was a lot of intentionality behind some ofthose choices, I'm pretty sure.
Um, but I know when I was talking with both Amitria Fanaé and D.
(07:19):
Jerome, they were saying that like, this was trying to put its own mark, its own legacy onthe history of The Wiz.
Cause The Wiz has been around.
for 50 years.
It's, you we're having a 50th anniversary.
They brought it back to Broadway specifically because of that anniversary, but to be ableto kind of tell the story and bring the story to cities around the North America.
(07:41):
And you could tell where there was clearly some choices, like when we came to some of thedances and there was like, we're calling to now.
Like we're calling back to modern age.
They brought Dorothy.
uh her real world to the modern age.
And so there was definitely a lot of intentionality to some of these choices, um be itwhether people are going to like it or not, that's a different story.
(08:02):
But you did kind of see that reflected throughout the Wiz.
We're taking this from the 70s to the 2020s.
so with the, with the story, we have Dorothy, obviously goes to Oz, kind of gets trappedin this world, um, of magic, uh, and, and meet some friends along the way.
(08:26):
What about this story or just like the Wizard of Oz story at all?
What kind of like resonates with you with this, with this journey for Dorothy?
What?
Resonate?
I mean, it's that coming of age story, right?
Like, you were kind of opening, it reminds me a lot of Disney.
We're opening the story with a trauma, right?
Talking about, and it was specifically her parents or mom passing away and now beinghoused with her aunt.
(08:55):
And then having to...
at the end of the day go through hard hardship, whether that's socially, financially,mentally, um and overcome that hardship by finding some type of...
(09:16):
so we're done looking for strength within yourself.
um So, and that message to me was very clear throughout the entire thing, from the openingscene to the final scene.
Obviously, it's kind of spelled out in the final scene, but um I think that the same thinggoes for when we talk about every iteration of The Wiz, also The Wizard of Oz.
(09:43):
I mean...
it's all there.
Yeah, you have this iteration of home.
uh As we know, this show literally ends on the song home, just to really full circle.
um But yeah, I think everyone can relate to that in some way, or form.
(10:06):
I absolutely.
think that there's so many great messages in here.
And when I was talking with Amitria she had like a theme that stuck out her for everysingle character.
And I never crossed my mind when thinking about like the Wizard of Oz.
there's a value in every, every character brings a value to the story and all of them arereflective of Dorothy's journey of like having a heart.
(10:28):
She cares about her parents, you know, having the brains to figure out what to do.
Like there's having the courage to
continue on a journey when you're in a land by yourself.
Like there is a lot of themes that do stand out about Dorothy's journey that does makethis show so timeless, whether it's the Wizard of Oz or it's the Wiz or it is wicked.
(10:52):
I mean, we are kind of living in in an Oz state right now.
There's a lot of Oz stuff going around.
But truthfully, is, this is
timeless for a reason.
And that's because these messages speak to every age, every stage, whatever person isgoing through, there's something that we can pull apart and take away and use it to
reflect upon our lives and reflect about the lives of those around us.
(11:17):
um, you know, one that really struck out to me was kind of this idea of community, whichyou saw a lot with the Tin Man and the lion where they're just...
The Tin Man wants to find his heart because he's missing his family and that's hiscommunity and he's feeling lost without that.
um the lion needs to find the courage to find his family who have been taken away fromhim.
So this idea of like finding your family and finding the people that make you feel aliveum jumped out at me and really spoke to me and I thought that like this is the one that
(11:46):
like I'm taking away of like we always need to strive to make our family, make ourcommunity and make it a better place.
um So that was kind of what I took away from that.
with...
No, not at all.
Not even a little bit.
Nope.
um So this show though also does something interesting too because not only does itmodernize it but it does do the it does show the story that we all know through a
(12:13):
different cultural lens kind of infusing it with you know R &B soul um you know the movieitself is a very like urban landscape this one did a little more um
Did you get the vibes of like New Orleans kind of?
Yeah, when the scrim went up uh for that transition post tornado, I fully was expecting acityscape.
(12:38):
um And immediately I was like, okay, are we...
It was feeling Ozian in a New Orleans, downtown New Orleans.
Like I was getting funeral parade.
uh
vibes.
And then as I was watching, think in, I don't know if it was that scene or future scenes,in the background, of course, their electronic uh backgrounds, there was like a machine
(13:09):
that was all horns that was playing music.
And it felt very New Orleans, like streetscape.
um I mean, live music.
uh
But yeah, for sure I was getting like a southern feel.
I was going to say like, I didn't go to New Orleans when during Mardi Gras, but when Iwent down there, like that, that identity is so infused into the culture down there that
(13:39):
you're walking down the street on a Tuesday and you're feeling that energy and you'rehaving people play live music and you're seeing the vibrance of what life is.
And what I love about that is that taking that parallel, you know, because New Orleans hasbeen through a lot.
You know, it's been through destruction and rebuilding and, you know, the hurricane, whatwas that back in 2008?
(14:05):
Maybe, maybe even earlier than that, just Wrecked havoc but they are such a resilientpeople.
And so to see that play out with what is also the, the Ozians, you know, I guess those aretechnically in that scene, they would be the Munchkins though they don't call them the
Munchkins, know, but like seeing that, like they are celebrating the end of
(14:26):
like a dictatish ruler, like, they are resilient and they are coming back.
so I love that they were able to pull that parallel.
Cause I think that I gave for people in our society today, a better, um, a better parallelto understand, especially younger generations.
feel like they're going to see that and they're to be like, you know us, I'm calling usyoung.
(14:48):
Um, but like we see that and we can make that parallel being like, we've, we've watchedthe people.
come together in that community, but also just um not be torn apart by something that isbigger than them.
And so I loved that they were able to change that parallel into that.
But I was expecting, like you said, the urban cityscape.
(15:09):
Like I was prepared for it to be the urban cityscape as that showed up.
Yeah, in the more it went on, mean, both that scene and then when we did kind oftransition more to the Emerald City.
It did, like we talk about Wicked, um it did the costuming, which we'll talk about morelater, but just the whole thing was giving me Wicked vibes.
(15:30):
the same, the vibrance, the color, the...
Just everything about it, which I think speaks to both items, because I think Wickedprobably did steal some of their ideas from, and I think they would even say, like we were
inspired from.
things like the Wiz and the Wizard of Oz um So I think it was just proof that yeah, theytruly did go back and kind of do some recon and um from the costumes to the lighting to
(16:05):
the stage itself um was giving yeah, some funky color.
some funky color, which again, in part two, if you guys are listening to part two, we'regonna break down the costumes, the sets, all the interpretive dancing, because there was
quite a bit of interpretive dancing too.
ah I feel like the show was a lot of technical heaviness and like the story itself issomething that we all recognize, you know?
(16:29):
And so when we're talking about it, it's easy to just, we're kind of glossing over some ofthese things.
ah Because a lot of the changes happened with what we were seeing.
not the story itself.
If that makes sense, does that make sense?
Okay.
ah So with the characters then, is there any character story or just performance thatreally stood out to you um comparatively to maybe some of the others on stage?
(16:56):
I Dorothy killed it.
um Her vocal control and...
Just everything vocally was absolutely absurdly good.
Like it was just probably one of the best vocal performances I've heard all year.
(17:16):
ah
I was going to say there was definitely some songs that she did that reminded me of Heartof Stone from Six, where I was like, you have that same tonality as an actress.
Yeah, she gives, I mean, even in riffs, there was so many runs, not to get too vocallyheavy, but so many, we'd call it ornamentations, ah that were done in all of the songs,
(17:49):
really, but specifically in her solos, I was like, that is a brutal, like I did not
remember or realize how much work this actress has to do in this show.
It's a lot.
And it is, I would say, equivalent to something like six, maybe even heavier because insix, they each have a song, right?
(18:17):
And then they are in the back, quote unquote, background vocals for the rest of most ofthe show.
This, she is...
Like every other song she's leading and then she has got like three or four powerhouseballads Which is absurd um For sure had chills I think from from even the opening note
(18:43):
opening notes to the closing notes She killed it, but let's be real.
They're they were all absurdly Talented I think Glinda grew on me
Um, at the beginning, we don't see her a lot in the beginning for like literally a second,but then I did remember that her, the second to last song, I'm blanking on the title right
(19:08):
now, but it's one of my favorites.
Um, and she, she blew the roof off with that one too.
So, but yeah, they're, they're all like, I would die.
I would die to have those, the vocal cords.
Um, absolutely.
think that, uh, Dana Cimone who played Dorothy deserves a huge shout out for herperformance in this.
(19:30):
Um, even despite maybe what we think maybe have been some sound difficulties, she stillgave a performance and as they grow throughout the show.
And I think that this is something that's interesting too.
like, was it a sound issue?
Was it a casting choice?
Because she's very almost meek and small with her or with
(19:50):
her vocal range in her songs at the beginning.
Like she's very quiet and petite and then by the end when she's kind of reached this endjourney and she's discovered herself, she's going home, she's just belting these songs
that are just crazy.
And again, don't want to get too vocally.
We are going to talk about that in the next episode, but like I think that her journey toothroughout the show was from small child to woman of her own right.
(20:16):
And that was kind of a very beautiful journey and it's reflective in how she handlesherself and how she presents herself, but also how she hits those notes.
um you know, you said, Glinda Glinda's great.
Sure.
Uh, Sherazade is fantastic, but I was loving Kyla Jade as Auntie Evillene.
(20:37):
Like the, the first off this idea of having the person play Evillene that's Auntie is suchan interesting parallel.
Cause like, and I know it's done in multiple productions of this.
It's not special to this one, but having the person that is there to protect you whenyou've lost everything, be the person who was trying to destroy you and Oz.
ah while it probably isn't meant to be a parallel, it's probably just a saving on budget.
(21:03):
Um, I think it's just a, such a great, to me, it was like the people that love you canalso destroy you if you, if you don't give you, if you don't fill them with love kind of
thing, you know?
So absolutely 1000 % Kyla Jade was top tier for me of this show.
(21:23):
Loved her performance.
She was hilarious.
She was great.
I love her.
But unfortunately, you know what's Because you heard about it all night from both me andthe guests that we brought.
But D.
Jerome as Tin Man.
Woo!
Woo!
That was a great performance.
(21:43):
Great performance.
10 out of 10.
No notes.
I mean, I can't argue.
I also had a friend not sitting with us, who also, when we were talking about theperformance, even at intermission, he was her standout performer.
She said, Tim man, that's where it's at.
(22:05):
I, you know, then I turned to you guys and you said the same thing.
So, I mean, obviously, absurdly talented, the dancing.
I do think it helps that he is playing a role that like is supposed to be pulling on yourheartstrings, right?
Like I don't know where my family is.
(22:25):
I'm heartless.
I need to find them.
You know what I mean?
Like comparatively to like, I don't have a brain or I don't know if you know, not thatthose aren't like serious, but but yes, I did.
I did see that one coming.
But also, you know, I do want to make a few notes here that, um, Dorothy, this was herdebut.
(22:46):
like insanely talented straight off the gate.
Um, when I spoke with D Jerome, he was mentioning that he had previously been in MJ themusical.
he had been in Hamilton, but mostly in dancing parts.
This is his first time having a significant role in a singing role at that.
And so sometimes you're, you're kind of sitting there and you're just like, I wonder whatit's going to be like, cause maybe you're nervous.
(23:10):
Maybe you're not.
that he was hitting notes that were just looks, he made them look so easy on stage when Iwas like, that note is ridiculously hard for the length or the note or the, it just
sounded so pristine.
You weren't wavering.
And I was like, this is somebody who has immense talent and it's finally getting toshowcase that on stage.
(23:30):
So like that itself is, is a brilliance of it as well.
Yeah, and that's I mean how often do we run into things I think of the same thing
right when an understudy comes on.
Like someone who you literally may never hear sing or see dance uh that much, they're justkind of in the background and then all of a sudden they are front and center and they are
(23:55):
equally as talented as the next and it's absurd because these people are just...
I mean, casting is so hard and it really is like
director discretion, right?
mean, Broadway level, have casting boards and they have casting directors specifically,but...
(24:18):
can't even imagine being in this profession because it is so...
the talent runs so deep, and this is just proof of that.
Truly, like, cause I have the tour page pulled up and I'm looking through there.
was like, you know, Elijah Lewis killed it as Scarecrow, Cal Mitchell killed it as Lion.
Of course, Alan Mingo Jr.
(24:39):
as the Wiz was a standout for the entire crowd.
They loved him.
There wasn't a single person here that was strong and there's a huge cast.
The ensemble is huge.
There's lots of people, lots of different parts moving here.
And there's just the same amount of talent that whoever cast the show deserves a raise.
and should cast every show from here on out because they did a fantastic job of findingtrue talent to represent the Wiz on stage.
(25:05):
Um, I am interested though, because having spoke with Amitria Fanaé who was Addaperle,which Addaperle um, for those who haven't seen the show, Addaperle is kind of the witch
that takes Galinda's spot in like welcoming, um, Dorothy to Oz.
And then she kind of shows up at the end.
Um, which she, she's fantastic.
She has a wonderful voice, but her, she's the understudy for Evillene.
(25:30):
And in my head I was thinking, I was like, is Evillene that different?
if she takes over or is she able to like code switch that much when it comes to the roleand the singing.
And so that also has to factor into when you're making these decisions as casting as wellis kind of what I'm getting at.
And like the fact that you're thinking of all those things, know, sweet little Addaperlecan turn into boisterous Evillene is, it doesn't cross my mind as a possibility, but
(26:01):
clearly she could do it, you know?
Yeah, yeah, and I think even in a couple of the ensemble strong pieces I was just kind oflooking at the ensemble um and there were some
uh women who were distinctively shorter than others and it literally immediately in theback of my mind I was like, okay, they there's no way that that is not an understudy for
(26:23):
Dorothy, you know what I mean?
Like there's intention behind like the tracks that every potential understudy or standbycould run um and as we know like when you like you were saying if you bump Addaperle to
Evillene
That then bumps someone into Addaperle, that then bumps someone into wherever they'recoming from.
(26:45):
So the number of tracks, for those of you who don't know what tracks is, it's kind of justlike a set of roles that you might essentially play at one time, uh most often in ensemble
roles.
uh But let's say I'm in an ensemble track one, or whatever the name is, and now I'm in theEvillene track.
(27:09):
which would mean that I'm Aunt Em and Evillene, right?
So yeah, it's insane to think that all of these things have to be thought through andprobably, like even in the audition, you're probably singing through all of those things
because you want to make sure that they can do it.
So it's intense.
(27:30):
And like, this is something that like, understand now why community theaters don't haveunderstudies because you would have to consider all of that.
Like, cause in my head, like I go back to when you were in Sweeney Todd, I was like, well,what happens if someone's sick?
Like what happens if someone can't make it?
And in my head, there's, really no one to cover your part, but like, there's a lot oflike, you actually have to have like a full-time job to really think about like who, if in
(27:52):
a pinch, who could replace RJ as the Beadle And this one, like you said, everybody kind ofhas a backup role on.
When you're going down the list everyone kind of has like an understudy for this characterand then this person's the understudy for that character when they make it's kind of like
that shuffleboard as it goes through
Yeah, yeah, and obviously lower level, I mean even professional quote unquote or amateurprofessional theater probably don't have too many understudies um or they have like
(28:20):
completely unassociated folks as understudies so they might just be hiring someone to tobe on book um in case of of something being needed but community level yeah you're kind of
sunk.
You
That's usually when shows get cancelled or something, you know, somebody's on stage, onbook or something like that.
(28:44):
sure, for sure.
ah Before we wrap this up though, I just kind of wanted to get an impression of what youthought of the chemistry, specifically of our main four, because ah I do think that there
was a wonderful chemistry.
uh As they were kind they felt very much like a family, they felt very much like friends.
I loved every time they did Ease on down the road and they like linked their armstogether.
(29:04):
What did you think of that chemistry of the cast?
Yeah, I would say it seems good.
I'm interested.
I don't know what number stop this is for them together.
uh But even...
Because obviously throughout the whole show we know they're acting, right?
And when I think of chemistry, think like I'm talking like deep chemistry, like offstagealmost chemistry because that truly...
(29:31):
We have seen where if your offstage chemistry is good, your onstage chemistry is...
three times as good.
And so, it feels more authentic.
It doesn't feel like acting.
um I often, again, I think of Wicked and the women that play the two leads often are very,very good friends or become extremely good friends in real life because they're playing
(29:57):
good friends.
um And I will say at the closing number or even the current call number,
is when it became most apparent to me that I do think that the chemistry was very tightamongst the few of them.
uh Of course, you might have someone that you resonate more closely with, especially whenthere's a larger, when there's four of you, because also I'm not sure on their ages and
(30:26):
that I'm sure could play a role as well, but...
Yeah, you couldn't tell.
um They were very in it to win it, so to speak.
I was just trying to look it up real quick without shaking my game boxes too much andmaking the camera flicker, but I do think we're early into the tour.
I think like we're not the first stop, but we're early into it.
(30:48):
um Like within the past couple of months.
like, it feels like the chemistry either was there or it was, or it's just, they'velatched onto each other very quickly, which is understandable.
This is a...
very emotional show that like, could you not just latch onto each other?
(31:08):
Which again, correct me if I'm wrong, that's true with almost any show that you're doingtogether, be it community, pro-professional, like you become a family very quickly because
you're kind of trauma bonded in this experience together.
I mean, you know, we see the end result, right?
We see the performances, but on the back end, even during performance days and weeks,like, they're still going to rehearsals.
(31:34):
They're still meeting with each other all of the time.
They're still doing, they're doing PR together.
Some of them are typically living together, depending on, you know, if it's an equity ornon-equity show.
You are, it's basically like college, and these are your...
roommates, they're your, you suitemates, they live on your floor.
(31:55):
anyone who's lived on campus knows, like, even if you're not trying to get to knowsomebody in that space, you probably do.
You know them pretty well.
Because that's just the nature of the beast.
And truly, when you're touring, that is, these people become your family, they become verytight.
You know, having done a lot of interviews for, uh, for these shows, they're getting up at,you know, usually about 10 o'clock our time, nine o'clock, wherever they're at usually,
(32:24):
um, to do interviews via the computer, get ready for events.
Then they're going to the events.
And then they even said after shows, there's always somebody going out.
And so learning to make the choice between like, am I going out with these people?
And you want to, because the idea of that community, which, you know, kind of ties us alltogether is so strong and you don't want to feel alone on the road.
(32:45):
And so you do tend to just push your boundaries a little bit and you're with these peopleand you do tend to just become a family in the end.
So with that, are running out of time, but look out for part two of our Wiz discussion.
We'll be continuing to explore the staging, music, and costumes of the wonderful world ofOz, as well as giving our final verdict.
(33:05):
Thank you again for joining us here in our box seats.
Till next curtain call.
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