I wasn't really expecting much from the regional theater best known for a production of Our American Cousin 150 years ago. But Ford's Theater put on a spectacular production of The Wiz. The black re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz is actually quite funny. There were a few tweaks to the script to incorporate the times, references to Wakanda required. The all-black cast is full of excellent performances, particularly from the expressive Ines Nassara (Dorothy) and the phenomenal Hasani Allen (Scarecrow) in his Ford's debut doing his best Michael Jackson. The Wiz is full of catchy music in different traditionally black styles, some gospel, funk, soul, and R&B. The small 8-piece band nails them all.
The design of the show is lots of fun. The costumes are way over the top, which is really kind of perfect for Oz. The Wiz dressed as and acted as Prince was an interesting choice. The theater makes extensive use of projections on the walls and on a circular screen at the back of the stage (that later brilliantly converts into the balloon). The projections work particularly well for the Wiz, whose uncanny Prince-face in multitude is quite intimidating.
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