In “The Wiz,” the all-Black version of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” that debuted on Broadway in the 1970s,  Dorothy never sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” nor wore ruby red slippers,  but we got used to that, and there were compensations, especially  a Tony- and Grammy-winning score featuring gospel, soul, funk and the R&B hits “Ease on Down the Road” and “Home.” The music was just one part of a fresh and welcome nod to African American culture and experience.

But the new revival of “The Wiz,” opening at Broadway’s Marquis Theater tonight after an evidently exhausting seven months on the road,  goes too far. There is no Toto! There are no “Munchkins” (they’re “townspeople” now.) We only see the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion when they’re in Oz, not their Kansas versions beforehand. And there is no Yellow Brick Road. These iconic elements are not, I suppose, strictly necessary — plenty of classic tales are “reimagined” for a new generation — but there is something more essential that’s missing from this reworked Wiz.  They may still ease on down the (non yellow brick) road, but there’s little sense of ease.

What I mean is: The cast as a whole can sing to the rafters and dance like the dickens, but their belting started to feel  like an American Idol competition, and some of the dance numbers seemed so frenzied that at times they gave off an aura of desperation. This unmodulated, artificial-feeling fervor made me wonder whether there were too many cities on their 13-city pre-Broadway tour, leading the cast to overcompensate in order to stave off fatigue. Or had director Schele Williams simply decided that entertainment is best served with an overdose of adrenaline?

This is too bad, because, forty years after its last Broadway run, some of the hits in the score of “The Wiz” still score, and there’s obvious talent in this production, both on stage and off.  Nichelle Lewis is a decent Dorothy with golden pipes above her silver slippers (yes I know silver was the pre-movie color of the slippers), and she’s aided by a competent trio: an acrobatic Avery Wilson as Scarecrow, a suave Phillip Johnson Richardson as a hip-hopping Tin Man and Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion. I thought Richardson (no joke) had the most heart.

They meet up with two colorful stars (in what amounts to little more than cameo appearances) — a gold-swathed Deborah Cox as Glinda and an emerald-encased Wayne Brady as The Wiz, minus the usual overlarge head, and smooth-talking rather than stentorian, but just as unreliable as ever. (Melody A. Betts, who normally portrays both Aunt Em and Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, was replaced by an understudy, Allyson Kaye Daniel, at the performance I attended, but I saw Betts singing from The Wiz at last year’s Juneteenth Celebration in Times Square and she was a powerhouse.)

Although the elimination of Toto and the yellow brick road are the most obvious alterations, Amber Ruffin, the Tony nominated co-librettist for “Some Like It Hot,” has made many other, smaller changes to William F. Brown’s original libretto (which was based of course on L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, published in 1900.) There are some new backstories, for example. The Scarecrow was a scientist who warned Evillene, against a spell to change the weather, that it would destroy their crops – which feels like a subtle nod to the contemporary problem of climate change — and she punished him for his warnings, by removing his brain, and turning him into a scarecrow out of spite, since he was so concerned about protecting the crops. 

There is also an effort to bolster African American cultural signifiers. The Emerald City gatekeepers launch into the verbal gymnastics of put-downs known as the dozens. There’s a New Orleans-style jazz band that welcomes Dorothy to Oz, and set designer Hannah Beachler  has reportedly designed the city to resemble the historically Black New Orleans neighborhood of Tremé.

Beachler, who is making her Broadway debut, won an Oscar for production design (the first African-American to do so), for “Black Panther”; she’s also worked with Beyoncé more than once. So, no slouch. I have to assume that it was a budget decision to use less than awe-inspiring candy-colored sets that rely heavily on projections.

I’m not sure who or what to blame for the poorly staged “I’m melting” moment.

“The Wiz” is intended as a family entertainment, which usually means it’s appropriate for young children. I’m not sure what family with young children could afford the production’s top ticket price at the Marquis of $300, or even the average ticket price, which last week, according to the Broadway League, was $140. (There’s a chance at both lottery and rush tickets for $45, but you’re limited to just two tickets per try.) An advantage of bringing young children to see this revival may be that they are much less likely to complain than their parents.

The Wiz
Marquis Theatre through August 18
Running time: Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission
Tickets: $90 – $300
Book by William F. Brown, score by Charlie Smalls (and others)
Based on “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum;
Additional Material for this Production by Amber Ruffin;
Directed by Schele Williams; Choreographed by JaQuel Knight; 
Music orchestrated by Joseph Joubert; Music arranged by Joseph Joubert and Allen René Louis; Vocal arrangements by Allen René Louis; Dance arrangements by Adam Blackstone and Terence Vaughn; Original orchestrations by Harold Wheeler; Featuring songs by Luther Vandross and Timothy Graphenreed; Featuring songs with lyrics by Luther Vandross; Musical Director: Paul Byssainthe, J
Scenic Design by Hannah Beachler; Costume Design by Sharen Davis; Lighting Design by Ryan J. O’Gara; Sound Design by Jon Weston; Video Design by Daniel Brodie; Projection Design by Daniel Brodie; Hair and Wig Design by Charles LaPointe; Make-Up Design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche
Cast: Nichelle Lewis as ‘Dorothy,’ Wayne Brady as ‘The Wiz,’ Deborah Cox as ‘Glinda’ and Melody A. Betts as ‘Aunt Em’ and ‘Evillene,’ Kyle Ramar Freeman as ‘Lion,’ Phillip Johnson Richardson as ‘Tinman,’ Avery Wilson as ‘Scarecrow.’ THE WIZ ensemble includes Lauryn Adams, Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Alan Mingo, Jr., Anthony Murphy, Dustin Praylow, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.