The North American tour of the Broadway musical “The Wiz” comes to the Fisher Theater June 17 to 29, with Cal Mitchell (left) as the Lion, Dana Cimone as Dorothy, D. Jerome as the Tinman, and Elijah Ahmad Lewis as the Scarecrow. Tickets start at $40 and are available at BroadwayInDetroit.com.
Whether you take I-94 or I-75 to the Lodge Freeway to get to the Fisher Theater, it will take you straight to the Yellow Brick Road to see the North American tour of “The Wiz,” which runs June 17 to 29 at the Fisher Theater.
The Tony Award-winning musical for Best Musical and Best Original Score had its tryouts in Detroit and Philadelphia in 1974 before opening on Broadway in 1975, retelling L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” against a backdrop of contemporary African American culture.
The score is filled with soul, gospel, rock and 1970s funk as Dorothy tries to find her place in the world.
“Ease on Down the Road” became the show’s breakout hit single.
While the story is essentially the same, the music and choreography tells a different story, with dancers representing the tornado that blows Dorothy from Kansas to Oz, where her house lands on Evamean, the Wicked Witch of the East, freeing the Munchkins from her evil spell.
Dorothy, who just wants to go home, is given silver slippers to wear along the Yellow Brick Road as she seeks the all-powerful Wiz.
Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow, who sings “I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday” and the Tin Man, who sings “Slide Some Oil to Me.”
Next, they confront the Lion, who sings “I’m a Mean Ole Lion” with false bravado who is quickly revealed to be a coward when Dorothy stands up to him to protect her friends. He then joins the trio to make it a quartet.
The group confronts an evil gang of witch-like Kalidahs with whom they do battle, then face the field of dangerous and distracting poppies before reaching the Emerald City. There they meet the powerful and intimidating Wiz, who tasks them with destroying Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Evillene, who rules the yellow land of the Winkies, is ruthless and power-hungry, and sends her winged monkeys to attack the four during the number “Funky Monkeys.”
They are taken prisoner until Dorothy frees them by accidentally vanquishing Evillene with a bucket of water, melting her.
The group then returns to the Emerald City to the Wiz, uncovering his ruse. He offers to take Dorothy home to Kansas in his hot air balloon, but the rope slips and he ascends without her, leaving Glinda the Good Witch to save the day with her sound advice in “If You Believe.”
Dorothy bids farewell to Oz by singing about what she has learned in the song “Home,” which has also become a stand-alone classic.
The musical also includes the Luther Vandross song “Everybody Rejoice,” and the “Emerald City Ballet” by musician Timothy Graphenreed.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. June 17 to 21 and 24 to 28 and 6:30 p.m. June 22 and 29, with 2 p.m. June 21 and 28 and 1 p.m. June 22 and 29 matinees.
Tickets start at $40 and are available at the Fisher Theater box office and online at BroadwayInDetroit.com.
PRE-TEEN GUILDLINGS PRESENT ‘SEUSSICAL KIDS’ AT THE PLAYERS GUILD OF DEARBORN
The Players Guild of Dearborn Youth Guildlings present “Seussical Kids” June 20 and 21 at the theater, 21730 Madison St. in Dearborn.
Based on the works of Dr. Seuss, the pre-teen production features music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and a book by Flaherty and Ahrens.
Nathan Vasquez is directing and choreographing the show, with Bree Rafferty as music director.
The cast includes: Jonah Bauer as Mr. Mayor, Savior Borg as JoJo, Serafina Borg as Jungle Citizen 2, Selah Bowman as Jungle Citizen 5, Oakley Daniel as Cat 2 and Eleanora Deller as Cat 3.
Also: Rosalee Deller as Jungle Citizen 3, Isla Dowhan as Mayzie LaBird, Randolph Dowhan as Thing 2, Lylah Espinoza as Cat 1, Allexis Golden as Gertrude McFuzz, Austin Henry as Horton and Tegan Koppy as Jungle Citizen 4.
In addition: Issac Kuehn as Wickersham 2, Samuel Kuehn as Wickersham 3, Allison Langlet as Mrs. Mayor, Emi LaRosa Smith as Judge Yertle, Gemma LaRosa Smith as Marshall and Sebastian McLemore as Vlad Vladikoff.
Also: Miles Rafferty as Thing 1, Kendall Striz-Brown as Young Kangaroo, Cassie Szymanski as Wickersham 1, Pheenix Thomas as Sour Kangaroo, Thomas Trzeciak as Talk Show Host and Ben Walentowicz as Jungle Citizen 1.
The show brings Horton the Elephant and the Cat in the Hat to the stage as they travel through the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus.
As Horton discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos, he meets Jojo, a Who child, who gets into trouble for “thinking too many thinks.”
Horton also guards an egg left in his care by the lazy Mayzie La Bird and is helped by the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz.
The upbeat show shares a message of the importance of friendship, loyalty, family and community.
For tickets and more information, go to playersguildofdearborn.org.