I was blown away by Ashanti. She looked great and her vocals were amazing! Even though I was sitting there listening to her I couldn't believe it. Producers have obviosuly had her intentionally hold back vocally over the years in order to appeal to a younger hip hop audience. It was just like when I saw Michelle Williams (of Destiny's Child) in Aida a few years ago. I saw it with Toni Braxton and later Michelle Williams. I enjoyed Michelle Williams's portrayal/acting/singing better than Toni's. No one believes me.
The staging and blocking of the production as a whole left a little to be desired. The orchestra on stage was not the best usage of space but it worked, kinda. Lighting and makeup were great but I can't say the same thing for wardrobe and hair. It was like they could only afford the best for about half of the cast. There was a little too much hip hop dance and style for The Wiz . I'm all for improvement and artistic interpretation but some parts could have doubled for scenes from MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the show and my niece and little cousin had a great time.
Dawnn Lewis and Tichina Arnold were excellent! Lachanze was awesome. Her voice is a blessing. Her rendition of The Feeling We Once Had was mesmerizing. And Ashanti's rendition of Be A Lion was a tearjerker. Very well done!
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