Todrick Hall as Religious Experience
The late David Foster Wallace likened watching Roger Federer play tennis to a religious experience in his famous NYT profile of the Wimbledon star. In a similar vein, watching Todrick Hall perform live onstage last night in his musical theater concert Straight Outta Oz at the Gramercy Theatre in New York was like a religious experience for me.
I’ve seen a lot of good theater over my past 18 months living in NYC, from seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda/Daveed Diggs/Leslie Odom, Jr. in Hamilton three times, to seeing almost every show that’s played on Broadway the past year. And Todrick’s performance was just as good, if not better than the many show-stopping performances I’ve been privileged to see this season. As far as a spectacle--for creating a world and letting the audience enter into it--Straight Outta Oz delivers better than most current Broadway shows, and then some.
The show started with men in military uniforms exiting the gates of Oz and marching onto stage. Todrick came out wearing a baby blue suit with white clouds on it, which he also wears at the beginning of his hour-long, Formation-inspired music video also called Straight Outta Oz.
Todrick Hall in the opening of Straight Outta Oz at the Gramercy Theatre in NYC on August 5, 2016
Todrick Hall, with a mic in his hand singing concert-style, walked slowly through the uniform-clad men dancing like they were in a hip hop dance competition. By the time Todrick reached the center of the stage, people were losing their shit. The few hundred people in the standing-room only section at the front took a step closer to the stage to see this man who wrote, choreographed, and was starring in this autobiographical piece about his life, told through the lens of Oz and Disney characters.
The only other show I could remember that matched the level of energy and fan excitement was in late March, 2016 when I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda walk onstage to an ovation so long that Alex Lacamoire held the orchestra from playing for several bars, just for the audience to scream with excitement. Lin-Manuel Miranda created, wrote, composed, and starred in Hamilton. But with Straight Outta Oz, Todrick one-ups Miranda in that he also choreographed his piece.
My favorite songs were Papi and Water Guns, which Todrick sang showcasing his impressive vocal range. Despite watching many of his YouTube videos, I was stunned to hear his upper-register. He riffed high notes with ease. And this was while he was dancing some of the most innovative, contemporary choreography I’ve seen in a show this year.
Todrick Hall, backed by a Gospel choir, takes the crowd to church early in Straight Outta Oz
What made the Straight Outta Oz accessible to a wide audience, is that there were entry points for the audience no matter their race, political beliefs, or gender identity. There were emotional songs sung by a woman playing his mother who sang on par with The Color Purple Broadway cast. There was a rocking Gospel number complete with a choir catching the Holy Ghost and a love story between Todrick and the boy he first loved. There was never a dull point in the show, as they cut to short video clips projected on the wall behind the gates of Oz featuring Wayne Brady, Beyoncé, and other luminaries.
Because most of the crowd was standing, it was good that 70-minutes into the show we had a 15-minute intermission to take a seat. In the crowd at intermission, I spoke with Broadway actors, professional dancers, and YouTube celebrities who were in awe of what they just saw. People said statements to the extent of: “I knew he could dance and sing in the studio--but to see this onstage--it’s incredible. His live singing is off the chain! It’s just as good, if not even more real than in his videos.”
I remarked to a friend who’s an actress in a touring show about his stage presence, and she responded, “Yes being a YouTube celebrity is one thing--but to translate that onto stage into jaw-dropping performance, after jaw-dropping performance is a whole 'nother thing.”
Todrick Hall as a wicked witch and leader of "The Green Revolt." The song Wrong Bitch recontextualizes the ideas behind Black Lives Matter in the language of the Oz universe.
After the intermission, a memorable song was when Todrick came out dressed as a drag queen with female dancers in yellow bathing suits with “Wrong Bitch” written on them. The show’s format of being a mix between Broadway show and hip hop/R&B concert with many performers holding microphones was the perfect format for the content. It could have benefited with a stage larger than the Gramercy Theatre provides, but the dancers were able to pull off the choreography in the limited floor space.
Todrick Hall came into the audience singing during the song Wrong Bitch.
The show ended on a very strong note--Todrick did a 20-minute curtain call performance which was a mashup and medley of songs from his most popular YouTube videos. What impressed me most during this section was the sustained energy and life in the performance. Two hours into the show I saw some of the most elaborate and creative pieces of choreography of the night.
So many Broadway shows I see reference dances from another era, such as tap and jazz, and it was quite refreshing to see references to several popular dances from the past 5 years in his medleys and mashups. I was surprised to see the Bernie Lean, Whip/Nae Nae, The Dab, twerking, and Todrick’s own creations like Dem Cakes Tho make small appearances in the choreography. Not only is he playing intertextually with the Wizard of Oz and Disney universe through his lyrics, but the dance choreography contained playful reinterpretations of these popular dances, which many of the YouTube generation immediately recognized.
Todrick Hall making art and political statements with this creative reinterpretation of Black Lives Matter in the context of Oz in the song Wrong Bitch.
What made the show work on multiple levels is that there’s the spectacle of the sheer talent of those singing and dancing onstage, but then there’s the emotional depth of Todrick airing out difficult life experiences in front of an audience. And also, there’s a wit and depth to Todrick’s lyrics that make me amazed that he also wrote them. The Wizard of Oz puns and references such as “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” “Imma tell the story my way // 'Cause the only way home ain't on this yellow brick highway” to his raps in Papi and Waterguns play with extended metaphors and the lyrical depth of a seasoned songwriter. To those who may have dismissed Todrick as a cover artist or online-only artist in the past, the live performance of Straight Outta Oz is a tour-de-force, which appeals to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and even--gasp--theater critics.
-Matt Werner
Matt is a freelance journalist specializing in the arts and author of 3 books. He’s currently living in New York City and writing Burning Man: The Musical with the composer Gene Back.
I’ve seen a lot of good theater over my past 18 months living in NYC, from seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda/Daveed Diggs/Leslie Odom, Jr. in Hamilton three times, to seeing almost every show that’s played on Broadway the past year. And Todrick’s performance was just as good, if not better than the many show-stopping performances I’ve been privileged to see this season. As far as a spectacle--for creating a world and letting the audience enter into it--Straight Outta Oz delivers better than most current Broadway shows, and then some.
The show started with men in military uniforms exiting the gates of Oz and marching onto stage. Todrick came out wearing a baby blue suit with white clouds on it, which he also wears at the beginning of his hour-long, Formation-inspired music video also called Straight Outta Oz.
Todrick Hall, with a mic in his hand singing concert-style, walked slowly through the uniform-clad men dancing like they were in a hip hop dance competition. By the time Todrick reached the center of the stage, people were losing their shit. The few hundred people in the standing-room only section at the front took a step closer to the stage to see this man who wrote, choreographed, and was starring in this autobiographical piece about his life, told through the lens of Oz and Disney characters.
The only other show I could remember that matched the level of energy and fan excitement was in late March, 2016 when I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda walk onstage to an ovation so long that Alex Lacamoire held the orchestra from playing for several bars, just for the audience to scream with excitement. Lin-Manuel Miranda created, wrote, composed, and starred in Hamilton. But with Straight Outta Oz, Todrick one-ups Miranda in that he also choreographed his piece.
My favorite songs were Papi and Water Guns, which Todrick sang showcasing his impressive vocal range. Despite watching many of his YouTube videos, I was stunned to hear his upper-register. He riffed high notes with ease. And this was while he was dancing some of the most innovative, contemporary choreography I’ve seen in a show this year.
What made the Straight Outta Oz accessible to a wide audience, is that there were entry points for the audience no matter their race, political beliefs, or gender identity. There were emotional songs sung by a woman playing his mother who sang on par with The Color Purple Broadway cast. There was a rocking Gospel number complete with a choir catching the Holy Ghost and a love story between Todrick and the boy he first loved. There was never a dull point in the show, as they cut to short video clips projected on the wall behind the gates of Oz featuring Wayne Brady, Beyoncé, and other luminaries.
Because most of the crowd was standing, it was good that 70-minutes into the show we had a 15-minute intermission to take a seat. In the crowd at intermission, I spoke with Broadway actors, professional dancers, and YouTube celebrities who were in awe of what they just saw. People said statements to the extent of: “I knew he could dance and sing in the studio--but to see this onstage--it’s incredible. His live singing is off the chain! It’s just as good, if not even more real than in his videos.”
I remarked to a friend who’s an actress in a touring show about his stage presence, and she responded, “Yes being a YouTube celebrity is one thing--but to translate that onto stage into jaw-dropping performance, after jaw-dropping performance is a whole 'nother thing.”
After the intermission, a memorable song was when Todrick came out dressed as a drag queen with female dancers in yellow bathing suits with “Wrong Bitch” written on them. The show’s format of being a mix between Broadway show and hip hop/R&B concert with many performers holding microphones was the perfect format for the content. It could have benefited with a stage larger than the Gramercy Theatre provides, but the dancers were able to pull off the choreography in the limited floor space.
The show ended on a very strong note--Todrick did a 20-minute curtain call performance which was a mashup and medley of songs from his most popular YouTube videos. What impressed me most during this section was the sustained energy and life in the performance. Two hours into the show I saw some of the most elaborate and creative pieces of choreography of the night.
So many Broadway shows I see reference dances from another era, such as tap and jazz, and it was quite refreshing to see references to several popular dances from the past 5 years in his medleys and mashups. I was surprised to see the Bernie Lean, Whip/Nae Nae, The Dab, twerking, and Todrick’s own creations like Dem Cakes Tho make small appearances in the choreography. Not only is he playing intertextually with the Wizard of Oz and Disney universe through his lyrics, but the dance choreography contained playful reinterpretations of these popular dances, which many of the YouTube generation immediately recognized.
What made the show work on multiple levels is that there’s the spectacle of the sheer talent of those singing and dancing onstage, but then there’s the emotional depth of Todrick airing out difficult life experiences in front of an audience. And also, there’s a wit and depth to Todrick’s lyrics that make me amazed that he also wrote them. The Wizard of Oz puns and references such as “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” “Imma tell the story my way // 'Cause the only way home ain't on this yellow brick highway” to his raps in Papi and Waterguns play with extended metaphors and the lyrical depth of a seasoned songwriter. To those who may have dismissed Todrick as a cover artist or online-only artist in the past, the live performance of Straight Outta Oz is a tour-de-force, which appeals to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and even--gasp--theater critics.
-Matt Werner
Matt is a freelance journalist specializing in the arts and author of 3 books. He’s currently living in New York City and writing Burning Man: The Musical with the composer Gene Back.
