Review: Everybody Rejoice! The Lyric Stage Company's THE WIZ Is a Whirlwind

The Wiz

Book by William F. Brown, Music and Lyrics by Charlie Smalls, From the story "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum; Directed by Dawn M. Simmons; Music Director, Allyssa Jones; Choreography by Jean Appolon; Scenic Design, Baron E. Pugh; Costume Design, Amber Voner; Lighting Design, Jen Rock; Sound Design, Rachel Neubauer; Production Stage Manager, Phyllis Y. Smith; Assistant Stage Manager, Nerys Powell; Assistant Costume Designer, Jez Insalaco

CAST: Salome Smith, Davron S. Monroe, Steven Martin, Brandon G. Green, Elle Borders, Carolyn Saxon, Yewande Odetoyinbo, Damon Singletary, Soneka Anderson, Juanita Pearl, Pier Lamia Porter, Lance-Patrick Strickland

Performances through July 1 at Lyric Stage Company, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 617-585-5678 or www.lyricstage.com

Colorful and imaginative costumes, other-worldly lighting and sound effects, and a scenic design that combines magic with urban details, serve as the playground for the Lyric Stage Company's production of the 1975 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, The Wiz, under the direction of Dawn M. Simmons. Helping her translate her vision of Oz, by way of New Orleans, are Music Director Allyssa Jones, fronting a vibrant eight-piece orchestra, and Jean Appolon, whose inventive choreography anthropomorphizes a tornado, a poppy field, and the eponymous Yellow Brick Road.

After holding an open audition call, Simmons fields an ensemble made up of 75% newcomers to the Lyric Stage. At the top of the list of her "finds" is Salome Smith in the role of Dorothy, capably portraying the wide-eyed wonder of a young girl, while in possession of a truly grown up voice. Throughout the show, she commands the stage and has the audience eating out of her hand with her delightful persona, before selling her act one big song ("Be a Lion"), and totally ringing down the (virtual) curtain with her rendition of the Finale ("Home"). Smith also gets an A+ in the chemistry she shares with the traveling companions that Dorothy picks up along the way. Elle Borders (Scarecrow), Steven Martin (Tinman), and Brandon G. Green (Lion) complete the foursome who link up for the journey to the Emerald City, and each brings a fresh, new interpretation to their familiar characters.

Whether or not he'll be able to fulfill their requests, the Wiz (Davron Monroe) is fearsome and flashy, sartorially splendid, and vocally outstanding. Monroe is slight of stature, but he makes up for it with his evil-looking Vandyke beard, his resounding voice, and the glint in his eyes. As the ruler of the Land of Oz, he chooses to order his visitors to kill the Wicked Witch Evillene (Yewande Odetoyinbo) in exchange for the gifts they seek. She sends out her funky monkeys to intercept them and puts them to work scrubbing the castle. Of course, we all know what happens when the witch comes in contact with a bucket of water, and this version of the story is no different in that regard.

The Wiz shares the basic bones of the original The Wizard of Oz, with a few alterations in the retelling. Chief among them is the infusion of soul in the all-black musical, and the variety of musical genres incorporated by composer/lyricist Charlie Smalls. William F. Brown's book introduces Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North (Odetoyinbo), who sends Dorothy on her way from Munchkin Land, and we don't meet Glinda, the Good Witch of the South (Carolyn Saxon), until the final scene, when she reveals the secret of the silver slippers to Dorothy. Most importantly, the messages of female empowerment, the value of friendship, and the magnetic draw of one's home, remain front and center.

Simmons, Jones, and Appolon imbue this production with sparkle, energy, and joy, just the uplifting kind of show we need these days. The talented ensemble brings out the best in the musical numbers, with such great songs as "Ease on Down the Road," "Everybody Rejoice," and "Believe in Yourself." Martin's smooth vocals ("Slide Some Oil to Me," "What Would I Do If I Could Feel?") bring to mind the great Luther Vandross, both of Odetoyinbo's characters strut their stuff ("He's the Wiz," "No Bad News") with brio, and Saxon conveys heart and spirit in her dual roles as Aunt Em ("The Feeling We Once Had") and Glinda ("Believe in Yourself"). Damon Singletary shows his range as Uncle Henry and the keeper of the gate of the Emerald City. Soneka Anderson, Juanita Pearl, Pier Lamia Porter, and Lance-Patrick Strickland sing and dance with distinction, bringing to life the tornado, the monkeys, and the fluid Yellow Brick Road. This is one story that never gets old and, at the Lyric Stage Company, The Wiz is a whirlwind.

Photo credit: Mark S. Howard (Steven Martin, Elle Borders, Brandon G. Green, Salome Smith)

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