Shifting the Set Point of the Room

“Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? Yes they are. In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand, but in practice, well, some may feel confined.” - Linda Martell, “Spaghettii,” Cowboy Carter

Repeat consumption is part of how I make sense of the world. Something will grab me and I’ll be off on a journey to experience it repeatedly. The more that comes from an experience, the more drawn I am to essentially bathe in it. To expose others to it so I can see their reaction so we can talk about it, agree and disagree, and so they can help me see what I might not see myself. This has happened to me with songs, with workshops, with articles, with videos on the internet, and of course, with musicals. 

Out of these immersions come presentations, programs, projects, reports, slogans, and entire eraas. Epic text and/or Marco Polo threads, business partnerships, lifelong friendships, entire vocabularies, and unmatched creative alchemy. In short, the essence of my Instagram bio: 

“The stuff that comes from the making of stuff. That is the stuff.”

Meaning making being “the stuff” in this scenario. 

All that to say that my fifty-eleven viewings of The Wiz tour and now Broadway engagement are adjacent to but not caused by how big of a deal the production is for me personally, and in the world generally. I would be doing this regardless.

This past week, I watched the show with an audience three-and-a-half times over the course of about 52 hours. Within and around and in between the viewings, I got to discuss it with 15 (this is a count, not an exaggeration) people with whom I have been discussing and/or making art, content, and ideas for years (at least 10 of them for 30 years or more). This is after seeing the tour in 6 cities. 

A lot is cooking in my brain, but what’s at the surface right now is the mash up of what I know of The Wiz, what I know of Broadway, what I know of this production, what I see in the world, and the question on many lips, message boards, and comment threads as previews begin: “but how will it do on Broadway?”

There are many ways to take that question (apart): from a story structure angle (going back to the source material); from a production (physical and performance) angle; from a Broadway “fit” angle; from a financial angle; from the angle of its competition; and I’m sure a few more that aren’t immediately coming to mind. 

After experiencing the show with those three-and-a-half audiences (one-half of an invited dress and three near sell out paid audiences) and rolling those angles around all weekend, the angle of Broadway “fit” is poking out. And my working theory is that it doesn’t matter. Audiences are connecting on various levels for various reasons. No element that might be perceived or debated as to be not “Broadway enough” is going to mess with those connections. 

I didn’t start there. What led me there started with noticing people across the audience — at seats in all the price ranges — who were in it. And then noticing that while it was noticed and appreciated by fellow audience members, it was only somewhat contagious. Arm raising, whoops, shout outs, mid-number standing ovations, seat dancing, ad-libbing, affirmations. Not interrupting or disrupting the show, but elevating it, engaging with it, letting it work on them and with them. And the result is that it works back on the show. Some of you are reading this and are zero percent surprised because you’ve been in settings like this before — maybe a movie, or show… or church. A secular description: following the joy in the room. When it comes up, let it flow, see what magic it has come to work on us all. 

There is a moment early in the show (the first 5 minutes) that isn’t a music, sound, or effect cue, but a cultural cue. It’s punctuated with a spoken line but is primarily unspoken. It’s the first clue about the center of gravity that the creative team has chosen for the two-and-a-half hours that follow. 

That experience is not common when one attends theater in one of the buildings categorized as “Broadway” in the Times Square region of the island of Manhattan, NY, USA. While subject matter can be about a culture or reference a culture or from a cultural perspective, it is not common that the language of the culture is the anchoring for the whole of the entertainment offered. 

When it happens in the first 5 minutes of this show, the audience reacts, exhales and settles in a little, but since it’s not expected, the reset is back to the Standard Operating Procedure for stage-audience interaction in a building categorized as “Broadway” in the Times Square region of the island of Manhattan, NY, USA. 

But then it happens again - this time it’s in the orchestrations and the vocals. By the 3rd scene, it is visual, verbal, setting, humor (specific humor, 2 types), back to vocals and orchestrations. Each time the audience reacts, settles, and resets a little less, placing the Standard Operating Procedure further and further from the set point of the room. By the end of the first act, whether the audience tracked all of the language or not, the show reaches in (with vocals and visuals) and unlocks the message: 

This isn’t what you expected. We’re so glad you’re here — we’re here, together, riding this joy in this building categorized as “Broadway” in the Times Square region of the island of Manhattan, NY, USA.

I left my last viewing of my 52-hour stint wondering what would happen if people sat down in their seats knowing that they had permission and encouragement to follow the joy in the room. Settled in for the show understanding that this creative team and cast made and continue to make choices that invite spontaneous and often involuntary responses from the audience. That’s the language.  

When I hear “how will it do on Broadway?” I hear a technical question about how closely or well the show follows the Standard Operating Procedure for theater in one of the buildings categorized as “Broadway” in the Times Square region of the island of Manhattan, NY, USA, and how much of a deviation might be acceptable or tolerable. 

While The Wiz is playing at The Marquis Theater, which is indeed one of the buildings categorized as “Broadway” in the Times Square region of the island of Manhattan, NY, USA, its Standard Operating Procedure is not “Broadway.” The category is: Joy. The language and the practice of Joy. As offered to us through a lens of Black Joy.

Original question: “…but how will it do on Broadway?”

Better question: How will the conversation between the offering of this creative team and cast and audiences riding the joy in the room inside this building categorized as “Broadway” in the Times Square region of the island of Manhattan, NY, USA, forever shift what’s possible?

“This isn't just a show; it's a celebration of Black culture at its finest, presented with the most culturally appropriate context and respect it truly deserves… It's not just a musical; it's a powerhouse of talent, a testament to the richness of Black culture, and an experience that leaves you with so much joy and pride.” - Falischa Moss, via TikTok