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The Wiz Rolls Back Into Town

Big high-energy performances, undercut by the folks behind the curtain.

There’s the groove of “Ease on Down the Road,” the seductive slickness of “Slide Some Oil to Me,” and of course that triumphal, transporting lilt that kicks off “Home.” When that tune peeks out, early on in Dorothy’s journey to Oz, you can feel a collective ahhh from the audience at this revival. The sets, by Hannah Beachler (contrasting with her beautiful Black Panther film work) are thin and garish, while the costumes (by Sharen Davis) have winking touches—Scarecrow dances in Timberlands; the Emerald City’s populace wears a variety of sci-fi silhouettes—that are realized with dull materials and fabrics. The closest the revival gets is during Dorothy’s big journey back to Kansas as she sings “Home.” There, thankfully, the focus stays on the performance: The backdrop shifts to a black sky punctuated by stars, and Williams has Lewis illuminated by a spotlight belting her heart out from center stage.

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