THE WIZ
Forget everything you thought you knew about the iconic stage play “The Wiz”. If you were fortunate enough to see the original 1975 Broadway production that won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, or the even more popular film starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Nipsey Russell, you’re in for a surprise.
The iconic Ford’s Theatre’s version of “The Wiz” directed by Kent Gash, completely turns this production on its head. It’s re-worked and remixed into a funky good time with plenty of dancing, singing, laughing and crying.
We all know the story of Dorothy (Ines Nassara), a restless girl from Kansas who enters a cyclone and is dropped into the magical land of Oz. While traveling the Yellow Brick Road, she meets The Scarecrow (Hasani Allen), The Tinman (Kevin McAllister) and The Lion (Christopher Michael Richardson), who join her to visit The Wiz (Jobari Parker-Namdar) and deal the demise of the Wicked Witch (Monique Midgette).
“Our cast is unbelievable and they’re all from the D.C. area,” Gash said. “Ines Nassara is our Dorothy and she is beyond brilliant. She’s familiar to D.C. audiences in many smaller roles, but boy, she is a powerhouse. When she sings, we do a lot of crying in rehearsal because it gets very moving. This story you think you know, but this cast is bringing such great heart.”
Ines Nassara shines as Dorothy and illuminates the stage from the moment she appears. She is a powerhouse and takes control of the role with an honesty and freshness we have come to expect from Dorothy. When she sings, the emotion from her heart is felt and she draws the audience in with every step down that infamous road she’s walking in search of The Wiz.
“The beauty of “The Wiz” is its message that anything we already are is enough” explains Gash. “Dorothy feels restless and stuck at home, but when the tornado comes through it absolutely turns her world upside down and changes her perspective. Dorothy discovers she is smarter, more powerful and more interesting than she ever realized. She comes to understand that how she moves through the world can change lives. That is a valuable lesson for us all to celebrate.”
Standout, Monique Midgette stole the show in a trio of character portrayals. She plays Aunt Em, Addaperle, and Evillene, and is absolutely scene stealing as all three. Midgette has a chameleon like quality that makes her unrecognizable to the audience from one role to the next. Her ability to switch not only costume and character, but emotion and demeanor is more than commendable. I look forward to seeing much more from her, she is amazing.
“It was a little daunting at first, because they’re three totally different people…it took a lot just to figure out who they were, what they had in common and what made them different. I’ve had times when I felt like Aunt Em. As Addaperle, I have a lot of kooky moments where it’s just fun enjoying the music and enjoying helping someone get on their way in their journey, and as Evillene, it’s ok to be a little strong, a little evil in the way that you get what you want. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work creating those three people, but it’s been fun to help them become believable people hopefully” Midgette says.
As many times as you may think you have seen this play, you haven’t seen this version of “The Wiz”. Gash does something magical to the script and manages to breathe fresh air into it, giving new life to the story. He even manages to weave contemporary themes and references in here and there giving shouts out to Obama and Wakanda. It’s utterly clever the way he takes Dorothy not only back home, but how he takes us all back to the motherland in the process.
“The Wiz” was the first Broadway musical that did not present Black people as suffering nor enslaved, nor in extreme poverty and duress. It was, in fact, a groundbreaking celebration of the love within the African-American family, the strength and bonds within our human community, and the creativity in music, dance and the visual arts that has been such a defining element of world culture since the dawn of jazz,” Gash continues. The musical was created in ways that celebrate the vernacular of Black speech, rhythms, music and expression. It’s the particularity of the Black experience and the authority of the cultural voice in all its specificity, which transcends to become universal.”
Kudos to director Kent Gash, choreographer Dell Howlett, and the entire cast and crew of this production of “The Wiz”. I wholeheartedly recommend everyone go see this play. Take time to fly away to another time and place. See familiar sights, hear familiar songs, reunite with familiar friends, all while making new ones along the way. Re-imagine the possibility of finding one’s self only to realize you were home all along, because that’s the way this production will make you feel…at home.
“The Wiz” can be seen from now until May 12th at the historic Ford’s Theatre. For tickets and more information go to www.fords.org
Interview by Erik Humphrey
Written by Darryl Rembert
Check out QOTS Magazine’s exclusive interview with actress Monique Midgette:
