The Wiz Broadway revival has found its Dorothy.
Nichelle Lewis has been cast in the lead role of Dorothy, after being discovered on TikTok, beating out more than 2,000 other hopefuls. Lewis joins previously cast Deborah Cox, Melody A. Betts, Wayne Brady, Alan Mingo Jr., Kyle Ramar Freeman, Phillip Johnson Richardson, and Avery Wilson.
Brady is cast as the title character The Wiz with Mingo Jr. taking the role during many of the production’s pre-Broadway tour dates. Freeman is cast as the Lion, Johnson Richardson joins as the Tinman, with Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow. Cox joins as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South and Betts joins as Eveilene/Aunt Em.
The Broadway ensemble members are Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate and Keenan D. Washington.
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Directed by Schele Williams, this latest version of “The Wiz” aims to transform L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s novel “The Wizard of Oz” into an all-Black musical extravaganza. Williams expressed her deep connection to the show, stating, “I wouldn’t be on Broadway if it wasn’t for ‘The Wiz’…seeing that show changed my life. It is, in every way, a celebration of Black excellence.” She feels honored to helm this production and believes that now is the perfect time to tell this powerful story.
With a score by Charlie Smalls and a book by William F. Brown, this revival of “The Wiz” promises to captivate audiences with its incredible talent and dazzling choreography by Jaquel Knight. The creative team also includes the Amber Ruffin, who will provide additional material, and Joseph Joubert, responsible for musical arrangements, music supervision, and orchestrations. Behind the scenes, producers include Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Kandi Burruss, Todd Tucker, and Ambassador Theatre Group.
The Wiz Broadway revival is set to begin a national tour in the fall of 2023, with plans for a limited engagement on Broadway in the spring of 2024, coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the original production. The tour will kick off in Baltimore, where the show first premiered five decades ago, before traveling across the country and finally landing in New York City.
Brady will play the Wiz on Broadway in Spring of 2024, and in San Francisco (January 16 – February 11, 2024) at the Golden Gate Theatre, and Los Angeles (February 13 – March 3, 2024) at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Mingo Jr. will portray the Wiz on this fall’s (2023) National Tour in Baltimore, Cleveland, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Greenville, Chicago, Des Moines, Tempe, and San Diego.
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“The Wiz” originally premiered on Broadway in 1975 with an all-Black cast and received critical acclaim, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It went on to have a successful four-year run on Broadway and was later adapted into a feature film in 1978. The film starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and other notable performers. In 2015, a live television special of “The Wiz” was produced by NBC.
Singer-songwriter, Lewis is a Virginia native who has performed in the national tour of Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Bare: A Pop Opera and most recently the new musical Labelless. She took first place in the young adult popular vote at the 2021 Music International Grand Prix. See clips of her performances below.
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