A Little Jazz Propels ‘Wiz’

The trend in theater today is more and more toward blind casting, which has its ups and downs. One of the downs is casting a show like “The Wiz,” created as a black musical, with a white cast.

The rhythms and slang of the dialogue and the vocal style of the score are mostly out of place in Stagelight Family Productions’ otherwise lively and engaging children’s theater staging, directed and imaginatively choreographed by Tim Stevenson at Brea’s Curtis Theatre.

Some of the very young cast members surmount the problem by ignoring it. In a few instances it begins to sound a little like “Amos ‘n’ Andy” without the blackface.

“The Wiz” is a version of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” with a jazzy soul-filled score and not a little irreverence, as when good witch Addaperle identifies the evil witch who has been killed by Dorothy’s falling house: “I’d recognize those tacky pantyhose anywhere.”

Stevenson plows full sail into the project with a cast of seemingly hundreds of pint-sized Munchkins frequently filling the stage.

The all-important role of Dorothy is very nicely filled by Sari Poll, who sings with heart and makes Dorothy’s wide-eyed belief in the wonders she encounters entrancing.

Some of the other roles are double cast; actors at the performance reviewed gave Poll strong support. Ryan Williams is a worthy Tin Man vocally and movement-wise, with charm and a good sense of humor. Outside of her tendency to mimic Ray Bolger’s sidelong glances, Scarecrow understudy Lindsey Kraus was not far behind. As the Lion, Sam Schultz is notable too, full of energy and humor, but he falls into the trap of ethnic readings, which detracts from an otherwise sharp appearance.

Jere Lorenzen’s Gatekeeper is amusing, and Jason Warden’s Wiz has all the right bluster in a performance marred only by his lip-syncing to an anachronous recording from the original show instead of singing his one song.

Ann Holub’s wicked witch Evillene, who eventually is “liquidated” by Dorothy’s bucket of water, is a highlight as she plays into her character’s nastiness with a vengeance. Her “No Bad News” is boisterously on the mark.

Following that number, a tiny messenger, uncredited in the program, baits Evillene with some real bad news about Dorothy, and at the Saturday matinee this pint-sized trouper deservedly got a big hand on his exit.

BE THERE

“The Wiz,” Curtis Theatre, 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, $7.50-$9.50. Ends Feb. 1. (714) 990-7722. Running time: 2 hours.