The Wiz

The Wiz is the name of a Musical comedy American created with Broadway in 1975 and adapted for the cinema in 1978. It is about a version Blaxploitation and New-yorkaise of the Magicien of OZ.

The booklet is of William F. Brown.
Les words and the musics of the songs are of Charlie Smalls.

Synopsis

Dorothy is 24 years a timid and reserved teacher who finds herself carried by a tornado in the country of the magician of OZ where it will have to learn how to know what it wants and to learn how to know itself.

Broadway

Created with the Majestic Theater the January 5th 1975, The Wiz is moved with the Broadway Theater in May 1977 and there remains until the January 28th 1979, after a total of 1672 representations.
The main actors will hold their role of the first with the last representation.

Distribution

  • Stephanie Millets, in the role of Dorothy
  • Hinton Battle, in the role of the scarecrow (Scarecrow)
  • Tiger Haynes, in the role of the tinplate man (Tinman)
  • Ted Ross, in the role of the Lion
  • Andre Of Shields, in the role of the magician of OZ (The Wiz)
Among the important interprêtations, let us note: And, with minor roles, two singers who were going later to make a career disco music:
  • Tasha Thomas
  • Evelyn Thomas

Rewards

8 Tony Award: better musical comedy, better adaptation of a book in musical comedy, better original partition, better actor (Ted Ross), better actress (Dee Dee Bridgewater), better costumes, better choreography, better put in scène.
La cinematographic version will have to be satisfied with 4 nominations to the Oscars (artistic director, music, image and costumes)

Cinema

Produced by the cinematographic division of Motown, scenarized by Joel Schumacher and realized by Sidney Lumet, the film The Wiz gives the good share to Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. The only member important of the distribution of origin to have played in film is Mabel King. The music of Charlie Smalls is firmly supported by original compositions or arrangements of Quincy Jones, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
The film disappointed the fans of the musical comedy, in particular by its opportunist distribution which évinçait legends of Broadway like Hinton Battle. Its important budget (24 million dollars, almost twice as much as the budget of Star Wars, left the previous year) and its poor receipts (13 million dollars) made a “  of it; flop  ” which is re-examined all the same with a point of nostalgia.

Distribution

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