The revolutionary musical “The Wiz” premiered on Broadway in 1975 as the first adaptation of The Wizard of Oz where all of the characters were portrayed as African Americans.  The Penn State School of Theater put on a dazzling production of it this week, and will continue to do so through the weekend.

We were lucky enough to snag a few tickets this week, and it was easy to see how the Playhouse Theater had sold out already. The play is great on its own, but it was the energy coming from the actors that made the experience so much better; it was obvious that they were having fun on stage. Toss in dramatic, almost surreal set design and you’ve got yourself a fabulous night out—and on campus, no less.

If you have tickets, you’re lucky because this baby’s sold out all weekend—if not, never fear, the school will be putting on a production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot from April 14-24. Want more theater now? No Refund Theater is putting on a dark comedy about the pressures on adolescent girls to stay thin. Schoolgirl Figure is playing tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 pm in Forum Room 111. Happy theater-hopping!