During our Intro to Theatre class, I watched the NBC production of The Wiz which was a live broadcasted musical from the story book adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. For a four-day period, we discovered the adventures of our teenage protagonist named Dorothy, who was whisked into the magical world of Oz. Along with a Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, Dorothy and the gang go through Oz to seek the magical Wiz to get Dorothy back home to her farm in Kansas. On her journey, she learns the true meaning of love, courage, and what home really means to her. As an overall musical, The Wiz brought a compelling note recreating a classic story and twisting it into a musical with a unique cast, delightful costumes, and melodious songs. For me, the musical was …show more content…
an overall wonder of amazement, or better yet oddness, that made me remember that classical story into a new world and view. While there’s some drawbacks that I feel the story lacked, The Wiz was an enjoyable musical from most of its elements. One special element of The Wiz that I found to be my personal favorite was the casting. The actors were filled with a diverse group of African American performers that brought in a new feel of this story, and I truly adored the singing, humor, and emotions that all the actors brought. For me, the actor I liked the best Elijah Kelly, also known as the Scarecrow in The Wiz. He felt like the comical relief within the group, and for my personal likings, the person with the jokes has always served as the person I loved most. The Scarecrow was the first member of Dorothy’s gang we met, and his first meet was a part of the play I thoroughly enjoyed from his first number to his struggle of finding a brain. From the entire cast, I actually do not have a least favorite actor. I thought acting throughout the play was stellar from the gestures to the singing to the overall emotion that was brought to the table. All the actors seemed to work together substantially, and the musical genuinely felt like Dorothy was in the real world of Oz, having contempt with the people she's met while still striving to get home. The feel, the look, and the performance was something I did not have a problem with at all in this musical. Aside from the acting, the technical details within The Wiz conveyed more to the whole story, and from the costumes to the prop and makeup, every single aspect made was unique for all the characters and made scenes seem more realistic.
The costumes were easily identifiable and suitable for the characters. From the background characters to the main crew, you knew who they were playing and how their gestures and movements incorporated with their costumes. As of the tech on stage, the lighting, scenic design, and sound effects fitted the scenes well as the musical progressed. Instead of switching an empty stage to suit where the characters were, the screen switched to a colorful background to show where characters are, and the back screen was one of my favorite parts of the musical for how detailed yet simple it was to show a character's location. Whenever lighting was directed towards one person to show them singing or no lights at all to show a dramatic scene, the sounds also synced up along with the lights, which emphasized the mood and really drove me, as a viewer, into believing into these scenes. Overall, the technological enhancements made the musical lively. They were able to set the mood differently between acts, like when Dorothy got cast away into Oz or when she and the gang were stuck in the forest. All these small elements made every single scene more enjoyable, and I actually preferred the look of the musical more than the actual story and music
combined. In conclusion, my inclusive opinion about The Wiz was remarkable. While I definitely do think elements of the musical could be improved, I enjoyed the musical as a whole for entertaining purposes. Through the story, you get to learn what the real difference is between good and evil, and just because you don't have something does not mean you can stop yourself from learning how to find it from within. After watching The Wiz, I would recommend the musical as a family-friendly show for all ages to watch. Whether that's for a family movie night or for a class of young students, The Wiz really reached out to all audiences in a humorous and emotional way. The feel I do get from The Wiz is more directed towards young children and teens, but overall, I believe all ages could watch this musical and leave it enjoying at least one aspect. Wherever you find yourself watching The Wiz, just remember there is no place like home.
The choreography kept things interesting and the dances in a musical can make or break the performance. Overall, Cherie and Abby did an amazing job directing each person to have a place among a crowded stage. Last but not least, the costumes! This play was set in the 1890s, meaning it is very important to have correlating costumes so the audience can be aware of what time period they are in.
The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.
The Music Man made interesting use of the technical aspects of theatre. Sound was used appropriately, as music from the monitors did not overpower the voices of the actors. Lights, however, did not leave any sort of impression on me. Hardly any lights were utilized to enhance the mood were present. This caused for less emphasization on spectacle than what would be expected of such a dramatic play. Although, intricate costumes and set made up for the dull lighting techniques.
Burns was a interesting and creative production that was thrilling to go see The three main parts of this production involved lighting, costumes, and sets and props. The way she produced the play was marvelous. The lighting was great because it really gave the audience a better understanding of the scene. I thought the lighting was cue for every act in this production. The costumes in this play were, also key because it showed the different time periods throughout the play. Act one through three was almost a century apart so it was very important that the costumes symbolized that. Sounds and music was my favorite part of this production because it really helped the audience identify things that they wouldn’t have identified if those sounds used weren’t used. I thought that was the most effective tool the cast members used to produce this play. Overall, Mr. Burns was a very effective production because the use of lighting, costumes, and
I found the setting of the show to be visually amazing. One scene that I found interesting and heart touching, was when Elphaba and Glinda realize that it’s the end for the wicked witch. The hunters that have been chasing them have finally caught up to them and have come to kill her. Glenda and Elphaba share a moment of reflection and love that they know will be the final embrace they will ever share. At the end of the song “My life has changed forever” because I knew you, they share an embrace where you can feel the love radiate from the stage to the audience, I actually began to shed a few tears along with my girlfriend because, this scene was heart touching. Looking about at others in the audience and I noticed that they were emotional too both man and women had watery eyes or was
The art in social justice movement is further educate individuals while entertaining them, one example is the 1978s classic The Wiz. The Wiz was created during the Black Arts Movement to illustrated historical and political issues in the African American community. If one watches The Wiz closely one can see the how the Scarecrow character is used to demonstrate how African American mental mislead. The Scarecrow was told over and over by the Crows he was not smart enough to get down off of “dis here pole”. The Scarecrow believed the Crows and felt he was dumb and not good enough. However, the Scarecrow was very smart, but due to years of being mental beat down he could see it. This has happened so many times in African American history. African Americans have been told they were not smart or good enough since captured and brought to America. This constant mental abuse has left a lasting scar on African Americans, but The Wiz tried to show African Americans had more knowledge than what they give themselves credit for.
...tly, the costumes in this production of Wicked were incredible! There were so many beautiful costumes! Many were very elaborate and detailed, while there were also various simple and elegant costumes. This was extremely refreshing to see as an audience member. The costumes always matched the characters’ emotions, which made the plot go along much smoother. I noticed that in numerous scenes the costumes were the same color as the lighting in the scene. I think the director did this on purpose to emphasize certain moods, but in some cases, a variety of colors would have worked better.
The final element that I thought was very important to the play was the theme. The theme was the main thing that the musical was about and basically the whole reason for several actors, directors, producers, prop designers, etc. to spend so much time and effort to put on the play. One major theme in the musical was the theme of acceptance. Ogres aren’t typical characters in fairy tales that are accepted very much. The story of Shrek and Fiona teach people that it’s okay to be different and to be yourself which i think is a very important lesson.
The sound design and choreography intensified the overall musical. They created the time, place, and mood through rhythm and great energy. The actors had wireless, behind the ear mikes, that attached to the mike pack which amplified the sound, making it very clear. I could easily understand what they were talking about or singing.
The costumes which are used for this particular production are also essential in dramatizing the on-stage action.
The first thing I noticed about the set design was in the beginning of act one was there was a white house with blue strips on the right side of the stage. The next thing I noticed was after the tornado dance there was a colorful backdrop and there was the letter “Z” in the middle of the board. The “Z” was a bright yellow with circle around it. The circle was yellow as well. The backdrop was suppose to represent munchkin which is where Dorothy landed after the tornado dance. During the tornado dance the color of the lights changed to a blueish green color. Throughout the play there was lot of changing of the setting to make the setting go with what was going on during the play.
It seemed like it was a long time ago and they were using accurate costumes. Pam Fowler was the costume coordinator she did a great job choosing the costumes. Everything looked great and the costumes were really good. Some people changed twice and other people stayed on with the same costumes. I've seen other plays and they aren't wearing appropriate shoes according to their play but in the Gondoliers their wearing accurate shoes.
The stage specifically looked wonderful, and it particularly had an older style to it in a subtle way. The actors mostly were able to look and definitely feel like they specifically were from the 50’s era. I really think they were able to get the accent of the role they were playing in a particularly big way. I literally believe that in some points in the play, I couldn’t generally hear the actors which made it a for all intents and purposes little harder to particularly understand what kind of was happening a for all intents and purposes few times during the play, which is fairly significant. The stage designers, and the actors of the play did an excellent job with this definitely play in a definitely big
There wasn’t any particular scene on stage that made me doubt the integrative work of the director since all the staging work such as lighting, design, costumes and performance were well coordinated and blended for a very good production. The lights were well positioned with well fitted costumes and a very ideal scene to match. There wasn’t much change of scenes in the play except for some movement of tables and chairs. There was an entrance and exit for the performers which made their movements uninterrupted. There was a loud sound of a bell when school was over while the lights were dimmed whenever there was a change of scene. The pace of the production was very smooth since one scene followed the other without delay and most likely because most of the performers wore the same costume; especially all eight students wore the same costume for the entire