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The Wiz

Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre

October 10-November 2, 2008

Avg. Event Rating (4.3 Stars): Add Review/Comment

This totally hip musical favorite takes the stage in a funky and fun R&B twist to L. Frank Baum's well-loved tale The Wizard of Oz. Creators, Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown wrote in this high-energy 70's musical following the adventures of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion as they hip hop down the yellow brick road in search of a brain, a heart, courage and most important - a way home. Enjoy fun and funky musical numbers like 'He's The Wiz', 'No Bad News' and 'Ease On Down The Road'. Directed by Terry Helland. For all ages.

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• Ticket Info

  Tickets: $20-$25

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• Dates & Times

  Dates:
  October 10-November 2, 2008

  Times:
  Friday-Saturday 7:30pm, Sunday 2:00pm

• Venue Info

  Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre

  4720 North Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, AZ 85251

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• Locations

  Scottsdale

• Accessibility Info

  • Wheelchair Access

• NOTE: We do our best to ensure all information is accurate, however it's a good idea to visit the website or call the venue to verify the information.

• Member Reviews

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  • Event Name: The Wiz
    "The Wiz Part B-Production/Cast"
    Comment posted by: LuLu Review from AZ, Oct 23, 2008
    

    C) Costuming...Adepearl and Glenda looked fantastic, but it was clear that most of the energy was spent on them ,because the principles costumes were lacking. Which is unfortunate because they spend... Expand

    C) Costuming...Adepearl and Glenda looked fantastic, but it was clear that most of the energy was spent on them ,because the principles costumes were lacking. Which is unfortunate because they spend more time on stage. Dorothy looked like a marshmellow,the tin man looked like robocop, and the scare crow's costume looked unfinished because he was missing the middle of his costume. D)The STOMP segment...be on beat. PLEASE!!!! E)THE OVERALL CAST: Dorothy was amazing. She is an upcoming star in the valley, so everyone should pay attention. The Tin Man could sing, but he also made me feel for him when singing about wanting a heart..keep an eye out for him in the future. I loved how Adepearl was a drag queen. I couldn't stand the Kung Fu monkey. There was a dancer who had the "stink eye". OVERALL REVIEW: The Wiz is a musical that touches on drugs,sex, and murder. But those themes were missed because of the cookie cutter PBS standard of musical theatre. Collapse

  • Event Name: The Wiz
    "The Wiz Part A"
    Review posted by: LuLu's Review from AZ, Oct 23, 2008
    

    Let me start off by saying that "The Wiz" was one of the better productions I have seen in community theater for awhile. My rating would have been higher if I didn't have such a problem with the... Expand

    Let me start off by saying that "The Wiz" was one of the better productions I have seen in community theater for awhile. My rating would have been higher if I didn't have such a problem with the overall direction of the show. A) Why are the actors doing ridiculously HUGE moves in an intimate setting like the round? It's uneccessary energy that puts a strain on your actors. And it was clear that the actors and their voices were tired. The singing was exceptional, but you could hear the strain on the voices, and this was the opening weekend of the show. B)The blocking....I think it comes down to the same old status quo for musical theater. Directors have an idea of how its supposed to be done, and it comes across as boring, because it has been done before. Making it as robotic as the Tin Man in the show. And also lacking the heart that should go with it. I could visibly see a struggle between what the actors intuitively wanted to do, and what the director told them to do. Collapse

  • Event Name: The Wiz
    "Broadway in Scottsdale"
    Review posted by: William Baynes from Mesa, Az, Oct 21, 2008
    

    I was very, very impressed with the performances I saw in The Wiz this weekend. Dorothy was grace personified, such a lovely voice. The Tinman and Scarecrow were also enjoyable. The Lion I found to be... Expand

    I was very, very impressed with the performances I saw in The Wiz this weekend. Dorothy was grace personified, such a lovely voice. The Tinman and Scarecrow were also enjoyable. The Lion I found to be very weak, sorry to say, he came off cocky instead of cowardly. The Wiz was so fantastic. My favorites though, would have to be the three witches, all three were just beautiful. Addaperle had me in stichtes, it was hard to believe it was a man, I had to ask her/him for conformation. Evileen, was such a treat, and Glinda was everybit as glamorous as required. All three were vocal powerhouses. I thought the dances were very inventive, however during the opening dance the male dancer pulled my focus from the action, he seemed lost at times, he was either behind or ahead of the others. Other than that the show was just about flawless, with a tweak here and there with timing and pace, I think it worthy of the Broadway stage. Thank you Desert Stages for a wonderful night out. Collapse

  • Event Name: The Wiz
    "The Wiz was Amazing!"
    Review posted by: Frank and Romona Wells from Sun City, Az USA, Oct 15, 2008
    

    I attended the opening night performance of The Wiz at Desert Stages Theatre. My husband and I were blown away by the talent of the performers(actors,singers,dancers) and the costumes were wonderful.... Expand

    I attended the opening night performance of The Wiz at Desert Stages Theatre. My husband and I were blown away by the talent of the performers(actors,singers,dancers) and the costumes were wonderful. Performances that really stuck out were Dorothy, Tinman, Scarecrow, Evileen and The Wiz and Glinda, amazing performances. The highlight however was the performance given by Addaperle, such great comidic timing and a lovely voice too, I didn't realize it was a man until intermission. Bravo to the director for putting together such a diverse group of performers on one stage. I plan on coming back to see it again, and bringing the grandkids. Collapse

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