The Wiz Live!

The Wiz Live! (2015) is a television movie that serves as a new adaptation of the 1975 Broadway musical of the same name and it was awesome.

Positives for The Wiz Live! (2015): It was cool to see a stage play of the classic story done in a new reinterpretation for a new audience. You still get the classic elements of the story done her with black actors that still gets the job done. The acting from the cast is excellent including Shanice Williams as Dorothy, Elijah Kelley as the Scarecrow, Ne-Yo as the Tin-Man, David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion, Mary J. Blige as the Wicked Witch of the West, Queen Latifah as the Wiz, Amber Riley as the Good Witch of the North, Uzo Aduba as the Good Witch of the South, Stephanie Mills as Auntie Em and even Common as The Bouncer. The musical numbers and dance choreography from the actors is really awesome as you would expect from a stage play. And finally, I had a great experience with the reinterpretation of the Wizard of Oz.

Negatives for The Wiz Live! (2015): You know exactly what is going to happen because it is literally the same story as the original classic just with black actors in the roles of these iconic characters. This movie is probably going to be one of those one time watches for me.

Overall, The Wiz Live! (2015) is a fantastic stage play for fans of the original and reinterpretation of the classic story and that makes me happy.

I am amazed at the reviewer who make the claim and that David Alan Grier as the lion was OK but not sure if he were Broadway material. That is laughable firstly because he was probably the best actor in the whole production of the Wiz live! And gave the necessary histrionics that were needed for this theatrical production. Secondly, he has been in several Broadway plays and musicals as the star and actually was nominated for a Tony for Best Male performance in his very first outing in a Broadway musical playing Jackie Robinson the famed baseball player. I feel that this production of The Wiz was flawed but had much to recommend it. Shanice is an up and coming star and has a wonderful voice. If she were only slightly occasionally off key, it was probably due to nerves. Anyone in their first production and a live televised one at that would probably have a case of the nerves. My main fault with this production is what it has been for the other NBC live productions: the producers should be less concerned with ratings by placing pop stars in the major roles and place more emphasis on the acting by getting solid, proved actors to play the lead roles. Mary J Blige is not an actress. Queen Latifah, although having starred in several films, was totally miscast as the Wiz. I thought the actor who played the scarecrow was quite weak. However Neyo as the tin-man proved to be one of the better actors and singers as well. Overall not bad! Certainly a better production, though not smooth in its execution, then the past two. Maybe they are getting better as they go and the next will far exceed even this one. We can only hope!

I am not a theater expert or a theater critic. I watch TV to be entertained and oh boy, was I ever entertained with "The Wiz Live!" I didn't look for flaws. I didn't listen for missed notes or lyrics. I didn't scour sets and costumes for flaws. I certainly did not inspect dance routines for missteps. I didn't unfairly compare it to the original Broadway production, subsequent movie, or the beloved classic that I so dearly adore. I simply watched and I was enchanted with what NBC put before me.

No, this viewer won't pick apart the production. I will just say again that I was entertained and I am so very glad I had the privilege of watching NBC finally get it right!

I wasn't sure what to expect from the show. Well I'm not familiar with the wizard of Oz. (Did I hear a "shame on you"?) I didn't like the story, not a fan of fairy tales. But the songs, the music and the performances were marvelous. I didn't know Elijah Kelley but man, he's got a great voice. I knew David Alan Grier from his "In Living Color" days but now he really impressed me. And Ne-Yo was PERFECT in his songs. Queen Latifah is brilliant. Who would have guessed 30 years earlier that this young rapper would become such a charismatic actress and singer. Amber Riley, perfect as always. Uzo Aduba, was a pleasant surprise. Shanice Williams, was good too. But to be honest I didn't like Mary J Blige.

I think the show is a must-see for the music and the performers.

I know the story from the 1939 movie--my favorite of all time--and a beautifully illustrated book. I have never seen a version of this story, where the cast is black and Dorothy is trying to return to Omaha, not Kansas. Or was she? I don't know what was invented for this production, and I didn't see the "Making Of" special until afterward. All I know is the crows were in the Scarecrow's big number. I do know some of the language used here could not have been in any of the 1970s versions, since those words didn't have those meanings way back then.

The first two live NBC productions had their problems. Until I read or heard other opinions, I didn't think anything was wrong with Carrie two years ago, except the other cast members were more talented than she was. Last year, there was one truly dismal performance and one uneven performance among the leads. This year, NBC had no weak links and, for the first time, the lead actress was fantastic. And she was a newcomer!

Elijah Kelley is quite a dancer. Could Michael Jackson have done quite as well way back then? Perhaps. I've never seen him in the role. I do know Jackson had that kind of talent in the 80s.

In the "Making Of" special, Ne-Yo is said to have delivered his lines with heart. That's certainly true.

Bad Principal to Bad Teacher had a Bad Series, in the eyes of most viewers, but I liked his show. But because others didn't agree with me, he was available to be a great Lion.

Common is anything but common. The Bouncer of Emerald City stands out and becomes a truly memorable character.

The original Dorothy is now Auntie Em, and very good too. Quite stern but loving, as she has to be. I'm not clear on whether Stephanie Mills played her sister, who tempted Dorothy in Oz, or who made Dorothy see her. This was something new to either this specific production or to the black version. Anyway, Mills is good in both roles if that is her.

When I saw the Good Witch, I saw a great if quirky character and did not see Mercedes from "Glee". In the "Making Of" special I immediately recognized her.

The Wiz is great too, in different ways. I've never seen a version where the group saw the actual person before that one scene, but what they did see at first was a flamboyant, confident and demanding ruler. Queen Latifah is great there and, of course, later. If you don't know the story, I won't give it away, but the later scenes are quite effective.

The Wicked Witch has a less prominent role here than in the 1939 movie. Mary J. Blige is deliciously evil and even more so than her ABC counterpart, but not quite on the level of Margaret Hamilton or ABC's most evil witch of all.

And then there is a fourth witch, another good witch. She is kind and less off-the-wall than the other one. Not in the 1939 movie, but presented in a different way in the book.

I'm not sure what the purpose was in having the farm hands, since they weren't in the original book and no mention is made of Dorothy thinking they were familiar either in Oz or later. I was wondering how they could get out of makeup to do the finale from the 1939 movie, but that's not what happened. Anyway, there is no Uncle Henry, so running a farm on her would have been quite a challenge for Em and Dorothy alone. The farm hands add something at the beginning.

I mentioned no weak links. As in the 1939 movie, everyone who has a line delivers it well, whether it is one line or many. Lots of other quirky characters add something. Several Munchkins and a couple of employees of the Wicked Witch are included. And the crows are very "Street".

The music is great even if it isn't entirely my taste, but I couldn't help but like the Scarecrow's number, which isn't quite disco but is the style that became disco back in the 70s. Some of the music is good to me, and some is good only to those who have that particular taste in music, which I don't.

And the dancers are very talented. Once again, not necessarily what I would like, but it is a fantastic production.

Visual effects are pretty spectacular as well. I learned a lot more when I saw the "Making Of" special, but so much of what goes on in the background is so real. I only saw one wire supporting a character who was up in the air.

Family friendly? A little less so than the 1939 movie, in which some the flying monkeys scared some kids. This one is not quite as scary, but does have three curse words, one for each hour, and one particularly bad one.

The best yet? Maybe. NBC should keep doing this.