The Wiz

I must say that I truly enjoyed the production of The Wiz, but I felt that it missed the mark on some of the casting. The Wiz is a historically African American musical, but this production cast the two main characters of the show (Dorothy and The Wiz) non-African American. I would like to know why this choice was made? Anyone that has seen the production can without a doubt say that this casting choice was not made for lack of talent. The production was full of talent. The women the portrayed the roles of Scarecrow, Adepearle, and Glinda could have easy carried the role of Dorothy and the Lion had the voice, stature, and acting ability to carry the role as the Wiz. So why were these roles cast non-African American? The young lady that portrayed Dorothy was extremely talented but she lacked the soulful elements that were needed to deliver the essence of the script. You could hear the soul in the lines but not in her characterization/delivery. This ultimately led to the lost of much of the soul of the production. I feel that this was a good show but the mark was truly missed by not allowing the show to be cast as an all African American show.