Photo by Steven Schreiber
Ease on down the road to recession and back from the brink of fantasy in Nicholas Leichter and Monstah Black’s take on “The Wiz/ard of Oz” for the Obama generation. Featuring choreography by Leichter and a commissioned score by Black with added musical selections, The Whiz: Obamaland is a full-spectrum original show of song, dance, and theatrical extravaganza that revisits The Wizard of Oz and its black version, The Wiz, through the prism of American euphoria, expectation, disappointment, and acceptance of the imagined promise of a post-racial society. The 75-minute work showcases an array of different dance, performance, and music styles – house, funk, postmodern, drag, hip-hop, contemporary, and psychedelic – which traverse a landscape of hopes, fears, dreams, and home.
Performances take place Wednesday through Saturday, June 16th thorough 19th at 8 PM at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street) in New York City. Tickets are $20 at Ovationtix or by calling 212.352.3101.