To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, we鈥檙e cataloging 25 objects that define the country鈥檚 history.
Just over 50 years ago, 鈥淭he Wiz鈥� premiered on Broadway.
The musical reimagined a classic American story, 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz,鈥� as an all-Black production filled with gospel, funk and soul music. Now, some of the show鈥檚 most striking costumes from designer Geoffrey Holder are a part of a collection at the Smithsonian Institution.
Here & Now鈥檚 Robin Young spoke with Dwandalyn Reece, associate director for the Humanities at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, about one of the show鈥檚 most dazzling outfits worn by 鈥淭he Wiz鈥� himself: Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Andr茅 De Shields.
4 questions with Dwandalyn Reece
You could almost draw a line from this costume to 鈥楤lack Panther.鈥� Could you describe it?
鈥淚t is a one-piece jumpsuit and a voluminous cape, which is cream white on the outside with red lining on the inside. And it looks like someone getting ready to fly. It鈥檚 got the goggles and it just fits flatly over your head. And it has that futuristic look that ties to the concept of Afrofuturism, which was really exploding in the 1970s.鈥�
What did Andr茅 De Shields bring to this role?
鈥淗e kind of tells the story himself when he auditioned for the part. He said the original concept was to have a character similar to the character that Frank Morgan played in the 1939 film, 鈥楾he Wizard of Oz.鈥� But De Shields said he didn鈥檛 see the character that way, and so when he auditioned for the part, he said he had these platform shoes, blue hot pants and a red top that said, 鈥榣ove鈥� all over it.
鈥淗is idea was that the conception of the character really had to match the music. There鈥檚 gospel, there鈥檚 R&B and there鈥檚 funk. And so his very sense of it is that that character was super-human.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 also a product of its time. In the 1970s, things are becoming more integrated. There are more opportunities for people. Just in this case, for Andr茅 De Shields, this was his first major Broadway role. And Andr茅 De Shields is also a gay man. And I think he was bringing all of that to play in conceiving this character as a way of announcing himself.鈥�
The collection also has the Tin Man鈥檚 costume. Tell us about that.
鈥淚t鈥檚 silver, but it鈥檚 accentuated by household objects 鈥� pots, pans, a skillet 鈥� things that you have in everyday life. Also, Geoffrey Holder is from the Caribbean, and so he had those sensibilities of his own heritage. So it鈥檚 not only a show about Black America at the time, but it鈥檚 also a show about the African diaspora.鈥�
At your museum, what鈥檚 it like when visitors come across these symbols of the stage?
鈥淚 think there is some kind of immediate recognition, I think particularly for people born after 鈥楾he Wiz鈥� came out. We鈥檝e had so many reincarnations in the last 10 years or so, so it鈥檚 not a show that has been forgotten, but I think it reminds our visitors that these kinds of themes that Andr茅 De Shields was trying to address in his own characterization have lasted across time.
鈥淪o visitors can reflect on the continuities and take pride in the way that Black artists have managed to change their identity or talk about their identities in ways that are embraced by the entire culture.鈥�
This interview was edited for clarity.
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produced and edited this interview for broadcast with . Walkey also produced it for the web.
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