It's been 35 years since 'The Wiz' made its way to Broadway and the classic soul musical – based on the beloved L. Frank Baum story about Dorothy and her adventures in Oz – will get a New York theater revival this summer.
The seven-time Tony Award winning tour-de-force, which introduced R&B superstar Stephanie Mills to the world, will be featured as the third New York City Center Encores! Summer Stars production, running June 12 - July 3 at New York City Center. Directed by Thomas Kail and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, the duo who brought the Tony-Award winning 'In the Heights' to Broadway last season, the show ill officially open on June 18, a rep confirmed.
While Boradway and TV stars David Alan Grier and Wayne Brady were previously attached to a west coast based production of the revival, casting for the New York engagement has not been announced.
'The Wiz' is an all-black adaptation of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum,' told from the African-American perspective.
The original Broadway production of 'The Wiz' opened for previews on Dec. 24, 1974. Officially opening at the Majestic Theatre on Jan. 5, 1975, it moved to the Broadway Theater on May 25, 1977, running for over four years for a total of 1,672 performances. Mills, Hinton Battle, Tiger Haynes, Ted Ross, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Mabel King and Andre De Shields starred.
With a book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and orchestrations by Harold Wheeler, the original production was directed by Geoffrey Holder and choreographed by George Faison. It won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Choreography.
On Oct. 24, 1978, a big screen adaptation of 'The Wiz' arrived in theaters starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Ted Ross, Nipsey Russell and Lena Horne. Directed by Sidney Lumet, the ambitious spectacle featured a revamped soundtrack and score produced by Quincy Jones.
I can't wait! I'd love to see that! Here's a video clip from YouTube of Stephanie Mills, the original Dorothy in the stage version, singing "Home" at a concert in Aruba.
From Blackvoices.com:
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