Review: Circle Players and TSU's Dazzling and Delightful THE WIZ

By the time Dorothy has made her tumultuous and turbulent - if wildly colorful and amazingly fantastical - journey to the Land of Oz and is ready to make her way back to Kansas, actress Kala Ross (who takes on the iconic role in Circle Players' engaging and entertaining production of The Wiz, that continues at the Tennessee State University Performing Arts Center through January 21) delivers a rendition of "Home" that gives the audience exactly what it needs, what their hearts have been wishing for and eagerly anticipating from the very first moment she stepped onto the stage. While Dorothy's fanciful journey is filled with outstanding performances and one showstopping number after another, it's Ross' "Home" that touches the heart so effectively, speaking so eloquently to our shared hopes and dreams and the realization that "home" truly may be found deep within our souls.

In fact, Ross' is a performance makes the price of a ticket seem superfluous, and add to that all the other amazing actors with whom director Tim Larson has surrounded her and you'll be ready to take another tornadic trip down the Yellow Brick Road so that once again you can experience the musical take on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and to revel once more in the herculean efforts of Larson's enormously capable cast.

And, lord! What a cast Larson has assembled for his unique take on the musical - which again was catapulted into the cultural zeitgeist thanks to the critically acclaimed televised version from NBC last year of the show that features the music and lyrics of Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown - and what a collective of creative types he's once again pulled together to bring his vision to the TSU stage. The story moves quickly (even if some scene transitions seem to drag needlessly) and keeps all eyes riveted to the stage, thanks to the splendid performances from every last member of the ensemble, all keenly aware of their shared responsibility in helping to create the rather phantasmagorical world that has delighted audiences for more than a century, thanks to the popularity of Baum's series of novels about Oz and the various subsequent treatments of the tale and characters on-screen, onstage and on the printed page.

Larson's skilled and practiced eye - perhaps no local director is as adept or as accomplished as he when it comes to mounting a huge-cast musical production - ensures that audiences are thoroughly engaged from start to finish, his ability to cast the right actor in the perfect role only adding to the overall impact of the production. The show's physical trappings are deceptively simple and Larson relies on the use of video projections (produced by local television luminary LaTonya Turner, who is executive producer of The Wiz) to assist Dorothy and company to "ease on down" the proverbial Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, ruled over by the imperious Wizard of Oz (Donald E. Carter III, in another dazzling performance). William Crimm's musical direction is focused and measured, ensuring a musical experience that transcends what may have come before in his collaborations with Larson, and Dr. Peter Fields' choreography helps to create a world that heretofore has only existed in the imagination, employing his dancers to fine effect in helping to tell the story.

Rachel Gallup's costumes are clever, fun and colorful - just what's needed to give the actors a sense of who their characters are even before they reach into their own bags of theatrical tricks - and Cathy Matthews' lighting design provides the perfect illumination that underscores each moment in the script to perfection. Shay Puffet's special effects, Sara Shumway's props, and Cameron Cleland's sound design provide the ensemble with even more support and, from the perspective of the audience, add greatly to the show's overall impact.

Ross is winsome and lovely, innocent and almost childlike in her onstage demeanor, her wide smile and expressive eyes inviting each audience member into her confidence as she creates a memorable figure onstage. If she did nothing more than close the show with her pitch-perfect rendition of "Home," I could have walked away in a cloud of musical theater dreams, but her multi-faceted portrayal ensures that there's far more to her performance to comprehend. Carter commands the stage as if he were born to it, giving us a Wizard who proves to us why this rollicking musical is called The Wiz and not The Little Girl Who Causes All The Trouble Despite the Fact That You Can't Help But Fall In Love With Her.

While the luminous Ross delivers the all-important central character of Dorothy to the stage with grace and Carter's Wizard is truly exemplary, Larson makes certain that every character in the musical is given their moment in the spotlight and that everyone is on the very same page at the very same moment. It's a testament to his direction and to the ensemble's rise to the challenge that The Wiz seems so beautifully cast.

Dorothy's posse - The Scarecrow, played so winningly by 15-year-old Chamberlin Little; The Tinman, charmingly portrayed by Treston Henderson; and Stewart Romeo's wonderfully realized Lion - are equal to the task at hand, each young man impressively assaying his role with vigor and aplomb, each actor giving his character a refreshingly new iteration. More importantly, the four principals seem ideally suited to one another and their shared chemistry makes certain the audience is drawn into their shared story.

Pauline McGowan, as the sometimes bumbling Addaperle, is delightfully sassy and saucy, leading the munchkins (who are imaginatively presented and each young woman is impressive in her ability to whirl around the stage, bringing Fields' clever choreography to life) in a superb performance of "He's The Wiz." Breanna Williams is a pageant-worthy Glinda, gliding onto the scene in a diaphanous gown and glittery tiara; she performs "If You Believe" with all the requisite skill and heartfelt emotion.

Henry Harrington gives a terrific turn as the royal gatekeeper and Miya Robertson is ideal as the Lord High Underling. Ashley Johnson, as the Kalidah Queen and various other habitues of Oz, has stage presence to spare; Cordnie Brown is impressive as Auntie Em; and Barrett Thomas, who also plays Uncle Henry, is great as an Ozian turncoat who supplies vital intelligence to the Wicked Witch of the West, Evilene.

And, clearly, it's Jamila Hunter's startling performance as Evilene that very nearly steals the show and wrests every superlative written about the production to her own use. Hunter, a senior at Austin Peay State University, shows off her star power in her all-too-brief scenes as the wicked Evilene, delivering a performance that you'll be talking about for quite some time to come. Remember her name: Jamila Hunter should be taking Broadway by storm before too long. Her "No Bad News" stops the show - for all the right reasons - and you cannot help but beg for more, perhaps even shedding a tear for her when her liquidation occurs.

Although the show's opening weekend was marked by the cancellation of one performance and the delay of opening night by 24 hours, Circle's board of directors have added a matinee next Saturday, January 21, to make up for that one missed performance. Rest assured, there are seven more performances (at least) to give you the opportunity to revel in The Wiz: Don't miss it!

The Wiz. Music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. Book by William F. Brown. Directed by Tim Larson. Musical direction by William Crimm. Choreography by Peter Fields. Presented by Circle Players and TSU Department of Theatre, at Tennessee State University Performing Arts Center. Through January 22. For details, go to www.CirclePlayers.net. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (with one 15-minute intermission).

photos by Bralyn Stokes

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