The hit Broadway revival of The Wiz concludes its limited engagement at the Marquis Theatre August 18. The show opened at the Marquis April 17. After it closes, it will have played 18 preview performances and 142 regular performances on Broadway.
The production, which began its current life on the road in Baltimore, will hit the road once again. Its first post-Broadway engagement will be the West Herr Auditorium Theatre in Rochester, N.Y. beginning February 25, 2025.
Directed by Schele Williams and choreographed by JaQuel Knight, this new version of The Wiz featured a revised book by Amber Ruffin, working from the original book by William F. Brown, and a score by Charlie Smalls. It was a regular high earner at the box office, making over $1 million every week. Its most recent week, ending August 11, had it in the top five highest-grossing shows on Broadway, with $1.6 million.
The Wiz first premiered on Broadway in 1975, transforming L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel into an all-Black "super soul musical," as it was originally billed. The musical made the jump to the big screen in 1978 with a film adaptation starring Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Michael Jackson, and, reprising his Broadway performance as the Cowardly Lion, Ted Ross.
In the revival, newcomer Nichelle Lewis stars as Dorothy, joined in the cast by Alan Mingo, Jr. as The Wiz, Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow.
READ: A Dress That Needs Its Own Car: Behind the Making of Glinda's Dress in The Wiz
The ensemble includes Lauryn Adams, Shayla Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Nadja Hayes, Treston J. Henderson, Destini Hendricks, Collin Heyward, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Jr., Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Dustin Praylow, Allysa Shorte, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.
Joseph Joubert provides music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements, with dance arrangements by Adam Blackstone and Terence Vaugn, vocal arrangements by Allen René Louis, music direction by Paul Byssainthe Jr., scenic design by Hannah Beachler, costume design by Sharen Davis, lighting design by Ryan J. O'Gara, video and projection design by Daniel Brodie, sound design by Jon Weston, wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and makeup design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche. Casting is by Tara Rubin and Olivia Paige West. Ralph Stan Lee serves as production stage manager.
Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss, and Todd Tucker are producing.
Visit WizMusical.com.
Kyle Ramar Freeman, Nichelle Lewis, Phillip Johnson Richardson, and Avery Wilson in The Wiz
Nichelle Lewis, Avery Wilson, and company of The Wiz
Kyle Ramar Freeman, Nichelle Lewis, Wayne Brady, Phillip Johnson Richardson, and Avery Wilson
Nichelle Lewis and Melody Betts in The Wiz
Melody A. Betts and company of The Wiz
Deborah Cox in The Wiz
Phillip Johnson Richardson in The Wiz
Nichelle Lewis and Deborah Cox in The Wiz
Wayne Brady
Wayne Brady
Company of The Wiz
Kyle Ramar Freeman, Avery Wilson, Nichelle Lewis, and Phillip Johnson Richardson in The Wiz
Deborah Cox, Nichelle Lewis, and company of The Wiz
Wayne Brady
Kyle Ramar Freeman and Nichelle Lewis in The Wiz
Wayne Brady
