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The Wiz
Based on “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum
Book by William F. Brown
Music and Lyrics by Charlie Small
Produced by White Horse Theatre Company
At The Theatre Building Chicago
1225 W. Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL
Call 773-327-5252, tickets $22 - $25
Thursdays & Fridays at 7 pm
Saturdays at 2:30 & 7 pm
Sundays at 2:30 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
Through March 25, 2007
Too many sours vocals dooms The Wiz
White Horse Theatre Company has, over the last few years, produced several worthy musicals but not this time. While the staging was innovative and the dancing was first class, the musical suffers from an amazingly poor singing. This sure can kill a musical. It starts with Dorothy character played by Samara Smith. Smith’s fails to project and can’t be heard at times. Her singing is hollow and lacks range and she sounded off key all night. Her persona lacks warmth and innocence—she is a bland Dorothy with whom we never connect.
Character after character butchered their songs with weak voices or off key singing. Amazingly, not one song sounded professional—most sounded like a high school audition. The acting was uneven ranging from over-the-top to down right silliness. The music and ensemble dancing was fine and the energy level demanded more spirited vocals. The show is flat and bland. The material demands swift comedic timing and strong melodic voices—both of which were not presented here. This production was poorly cast with the exception of Bethany Thomas as Evilliene. She had little help. I’d love to see Jackie Taylor from Black Ensemble mount this chestnut.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date reviewed: March 9, 2007
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