Roxy’s Downtown stages ‘The Wiz’

Since Rick Bumgardner became the producing artistic director of Roxy’s Downtown in May 2018, he’s found numerous performers that he’s wanted to bring together for one show.

“We have this wealth of talent here within the African-American community that I’ve been paying attention to for the past year and a half,” Bumgardner said. “I decided, let me look for something during Black History Month that could really showcase that community and give them a place where we can all come together as a community.”

The result is “The Wiz,” opening next week and continuing through Feb. 23.

Based on “The Wizard of Oz,” but with an all African-American cast, “The Wiz” opened on Broadway in 1975, winning seven Tony Awards including best musical and best original score. A 1978 film version starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor, and was revived in 2015 for a live TV edition.

From experience in Roxy’s shows and other performances in the area, Bumgardner immediately offered the role of Dorothy to Jaslyn Alexander, the Scarecrow to Lucas Lowry and the Tin Man to Huron Breaux.

Wichita native and local cultural icon Karla Burns “had to be the Wicked Witch,” Bumgardner said. “From there it grew exponentially.”

Alexander, a 2008 Wichita East graduate, said she was excited to hear a local company was doing “The Wiz.”

“The second I found out Rick was doing ‘The Wiz,’ I knew I had to be a part of it in some way, shape or form,” she said. “Of course, Dorothy was No. 1, but if I could have been in it in any way, I would have been happy.”

Lowry has played the Scarecrow before – as a Shawnee Mission West sophomore in the source material, “The Wizard of Oz.”

Even though he’s played the role before, “it’s kind of a new taste in my mouth … just because I feel so much more comfortable,” Lowry said.

Besides playing the Tin Man, Breaux is working with Burns, who is also the vocal director, and music director Andrew Bowers.

“I bridge the communication between the two in terms of interpretation,” Breaux, a longtime church musician, said. “The accompaniment may be a little static. You have to make that come to life and have some sort of form, or as the young folks say ‘swag,’ so it hits the ear correctly based on cultural norms.”

Alexander said she was amazed by the Tony-winning score, including the show’s best-known song, “Ease on Down the Road.”

“The music is so fun. Even the ballads make you want to get up and be in the moment with that song. Everything ties together and everything’s got a good bop to it,” she said of the music, played by a four-person band at Roxy’s. “If you’re not dancing by the end of this show, there’s got to be something wrong with you.”

Bumgardner said he watched everything from the original Broadway show to the movie to the live TV version to “a really awful college production” on YouTube to get inspiration for the Roxy’s rendition.

“I wanted to look at just how it’s stayed and lasted through the 45 years that it’s been around,” he said. “I determined after watching all of those that I had my own story to tell, as far as that was concerned.”

Faced with the dilemma of setting the show in the 1975 when it’s written or in present day, Bumgardner said, “I think we’ve come up with a really wonderful concept where the citizens of Wichita are going to feel the relevance without giving away what we’re doing.”

While the size of Roxy’s stage limits a large cast, Bumgardner said there are 17 performers, but no more than 12 on stage at once, except for the curtain call.

Although there are several stage veterans in the cast, the performers didn’t really know each other until they began rehearsal.

Breaux said he was impressed with his fellow performers.

“Their work ethic and their commitment to making this show the best show it can be, and their humility is just really remarkable. It’s a crew that has melded like family from day one,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of ideas pop into my head about working with them in the future,” Breaux added.

‘THE WIZ’

When: Feb. 5-23; performances at 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 6 p.m. Sundays

Where: Roxy’s Downtown, 412 ½ E. Douglas

Tickets: $30 and $25, by calling 316-265-4400 or roxysdowntown.com