The spectacular costumes and the amazing performances by cast members Shanice Williams, Mary J. Blige, Amber Riley and Ne-Yo are among the higlights of the show.
- Dec 4, 2015
AceShowbiz - NBC aimed high with "The Wiz Live!" and it didn't fail. Boasting a star-studded cast, the heavily promoted show that had gained a lot of attention since the beginning successfully met the expectations and surpassed the achievement of its predecessors "The Sound of Music Live!" and "Peter Pan Live!".
Shanice Williams' performance as main character Dorothy, of course, was one of the highly anticipated ones. She showed her amazing vocal chops when she sang without dancing simultaneously, but it's Amber Riley's singing skill that deserved a bow.
Um. Who is the star ? Young chuck berry #TheWizLive omg this cast and @MsAmberPRiley
— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) December 4, 2015
Ne-Yo as the Tin Man showed surprising emotional range and showed that he could dance in his silver costume. Mary J. Blige as the Wicked Witch of the West also delivered a memorable performance. While Queen Latifah's performance as the titular Wiz could not be missed, she looked more free when she ditched her green costume and just donned a regular outfit.
Ok queen is killing it as the wizard #TheWizLive
— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) December 4, 2015
Good news, here's "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News" with @maryjblige! #TheWiz
https://t.co/RtIEv3r836
— NBC (@nbc) December 4, 2015
Still, the costume designer's work deserved a lot of praises as the costumes and makeup helped bring the characters to live onstage.
Those who were watching the show have taken to Twitter to laud the stars and the crew working behind the curtain. Actress Laura Benanti tweeted, "YESSSS this storm is comprised of some EXCELLENT dancers." Actor Jeffrey Wright wrote, "50 brown shades of American joy. #Bravo."
Lilly Workneh, Black Voices Editor at the Huffington Post, gushed, "Needless to say, #TheWiz was nothing short of phenomenal. One of the best displays of black excellence. My gosh that was good." Jillian Beaux thought "The Wiz Live!" "was better than The Sound of Music AND Peter Pan combined."
Jarett Wieselman added, "#TheWiz was just incredible. Congrats to all involved. And with that, I say." Hoe Hoe Hoe Its Me also commented, "#TheWiz was an absolutely beautiful production. The symbolism and representation was all on point. Makeup, singing, and costumes slayed."
Thank you little Dorothy. #home #aStarisBorn
— Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) December 4, 2015
Hoping that everyone enjoyed their performance, Ne-Yo took to Instagram to post, "Hope we made you proud. #TheWiz," along with a group photo of the show's stars.