Touring Broadway production is at Denver Center Buell Theatre through April 20

After attending the opening-night production of The Wiz at the Denver Center’s Buell Theatre, Toni Tresca and I ran down what we thought of the show.

Alex Miller: So come on and ease on down the road, Toni. I hear it’s the thing to do.

Toni Tresca: That’s right, Alex, we’re talking about The Wiz today. I didn’t know until recently that there’s no actual road in the production. The road is symbolized by humans who play guards as part of the Yellow Brick Road.

Alex: Yeah, I completely missed that. I couldn’t figure out who these people in soldier hats with staffs were. It seemed like a cheap device to enhance the choreography. When you told me they were on the road, I wasn’t convinced it worked.

Toni: I’m with you on that. So, The Wiz is a classic piece of musical theater.

Alex: This is the first Broadway-level tour in 40 years. The show came out in 1975, and they made a film of it in 1978 with Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow.

Toni: Yes, that film with Diana Ross and Richard Pryor became a cultural touchstone for many people, including members of this cast. There’s clearly a lot of love and respect for the legacy of this show in the current production, which comes through in the performances.

Alex: This is an all-Black cast with a soundtrack rooted in R&B and soul – a completely different take. I wonder why they didn’t update the music to hip hop and more modern sounds when they remounted it. I found many of the songs forgettable.

Toni: I agree. Besides the iconic “Ease on Down the Road,” most songs are surprisingly forgettable. There are some good numbers in the second act from The Wiz and Evelina (the Wicked Witch of the West), but overall, the songs aren’t memorable. No shade to the live orchestra – they played the percussive soundtrack well, but the songs and lyrics themselves blur together.

Alex: Right. Evelina had “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News,” which was really good. The actor who played The Wiz was fantastic – you mentioned he’s well-known.

Toni: That’s Alan Mingo Jr. He’s been on Broadway extensively – Lola in Kinky Boots, plus roles in The Little Mermaid, Rent, Shrek, Hairspray, and The Lion King. His charisma was off the charts. His costume as the showman Wiz was excellent, and his number “Meet the Wizard” was very fun. I wish that energy had been in the first act, which rushes through Dorothy in Kansas to the tornado (illustrated interestingly through choreography).

Alex: That was cool.

Toni: It was one of the more effective choreographic moments. Then you’re in Oz, spending time on the yellow brick road as Dorothy assembles her team – Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion.

Alex: We mentioned after the show that the choreography, by Jaquel Knight, wasn’t particularly interesting. It was repetitive – lots of circling without anything groundbreaking.

Toni: With such a big ensemble, I was excited when I saw the program. I expected big, energetic group dance numbers. Instead, we got mostly unison pieces performed in different parts of the stage. It lacked the intricate choreography you’d expect from a cast this size.

Alex: The stagecraft was disappointing too. Besides the Wiz’s entrance, I expected bigger, more impressive musical numbers, but they weren’t there.

Toni: I agree. Much of that comes down to the bland scenic design. The production relies on a digital background screen with animated images that look cheap and cartoon-like. It’s supplemented by minimal set pieces — like in the Scarecrow scene, just the pole he’s hanging on before hopping down. The massive backdrop dwarfs the actors, making them seem tiny. The design elements simply weren’t up to standard for a professional Broadway touring production.

Alex: Definitely. We were there on opening night and they had significant tech problems – recurring sound issues even after an extended intermission. For a show of this caliber and ticket price, you don’t expect that even on opening night.

Toni: They held the doors until about 7:25, creating long lines outside. I was one of those people waiting. The show was scheduled for 7:30 but didn’t start until 7:45. Microphone issues plagued the first act. Intermission stretched to 35-45 minutes. After about 30 minutes, the stage manager announced an extended intermission due to technical issues.

Alex: Yeah.

Toni: When the second act began, the technical problems hadn’t improved – they’d worsened. At one point, a tech assistant had to hand an actor a physical handheld microphone, like a school presentation. It was embarrassing. I felt terrible for the actors.

Alex: Hopefully that’s been fixed by now.

Toni: It caused quite a stir – even making the Denver Reddit page. People posted about having to leave early because of work or accessibility concerns. Many were upset about paying good money and having to leave before the show ended. They were asking about the delay length to request refunds. It’s important to recognize that these issues, especially on opening night, leave a bad impression. Seems like this is becoming more common with touring productions. Mean Girls earlier this year, a non-union tour, was also filled with technical errors where they had to stop the show. If this becomes the expectation for Broadway performances at the Buell, that’s concerning.

Alex: I wonder if it’s the individual production rather than the Buell setup. I’m not familiar with how they load in their equipment and work with in-house tech. Do these tours travel with their own sound engineers?

Toni: Yes, that’s standard for most Union tours. They even carry their soundboard on buses between tour stops.

Alex: And they have their own mics too. Anyway, back to the show itself – there were excellent performances. Dana Cimone as Dorothy was great with a powerful voice. The Scarecrow, Elijah Ahmad Lewis, was a really fun character. Tin Man was D. Jerome, and the Lion was performed by Cal Mitchell as a substitute for the run. Overall, the cast was strong.

Toni: The Tin Man and Lion played their characters conventionally, not really challenging what we’ve seen before. The Scarecrow found more moments to stand out with his charisma.

Alex: Yeah.

Toni: In this version, he’s a scientist whose brain was stolen by Evelina and turned into the Scarecrow. The moments where he tries to think but fails are very funny, and he performs those well.

Alex: He definitely brought attitude to the role. Regarding costumes, the Tin Man’s looked slapped together – a denim jacket, some schmutz on his face and a backwards silvery hat.

Toni: The Lion resembled Winnie the Pooh with just a red shirt and no pants. His tail looked cheap but was fun to watch in motion — at least it had a dynamic quality. The Scarecrow’s costume was probably the best. Dorothy’s was simple. And as mentioned, the Wiz’s grand green outfit really popped.

No Toto too

Alex: The witches had some extravagant outfits that looked good. Interestingly, there’s no Toto in this show — no dog at all. I didn’t miss it.

Toni: I didn’t even notice Toto was missing until Act 2. I’m with you.

Alex: Overall, Act One was slow, but Act Two picked up. The show ran about three hours, ending around 10:30. With the tech problems fixed, it should be enjoyable for most audiences. A significant portion of the audience was Black theatergoers who appreciated the all-Black cast. But I wondered – beyond the cast being Black and the music drawing from R&B and soul of the 70s, is this truly a “Black show”? Does it actually say something about the African American experience, or is it just The Wizard of Oz with a Black cast?

Toni: That’s an interesting question. I asked Alan Mingo Jr. about this in my Denver Westword interview. He articulated something compelling – The Wiz stands as a counter to other Black musicals of that era like Show Boat or The Color Purple, which were built around Black trauma. The Wiz uniquely demonstrated Black joy and excellence. That’s significant. Combined with its contributions to the Afro-futurism movement, these are important aspects of its legacy.

Alex: Right. It would be a completely different show if The Wiz were portrayed as a white Elon Musk-type character.

Toni: Absolutely. In this version, the Wiz isn’t just a one-dimensional con man, though he has those qualities. You understand him — he’s trying to protect himself and the people of Oz. When he sends them on their quest, he realizes he’s accidentally undermined the protections he created for his people. It creates a more interesting dynamic.

Alex: That was interesting — he’s looking out for his people and willing to do questionable things if necessary. One other thing I want to mention is the witch’s melting scene, a crucial moment in any Wizard of Oz production. This version was really underwhelming, wasn’t it?

Toni: Definitely. The Scarecrow walks around with a bucket, gives it to Dorothy, then the witch enters up the stairs, walking through what was established as a wall. She just walks in, Dorothy throws water on her, and she quickly descends through an obvious trap door in the set. The whole thing takes maybe 30 seconds.

Alex: It happens so quickly you barely register it. No special effects — maybe some smoke, but nothing impressive. Not what you’d expect from a production of this caliber. Anyway, The Wiz runs through April 20 at the Buell Theater.

Toni: I wish a production with this legacy was more polished and sophisticated.

Alex: Agreed.

Listen to this review.