The Wiz is easing on down to Broadway.
The beloved Black-led, music-infused spin on the Wizard of Oz is slated to return as a reimagined revival in Spring 2024, producers announced Thursday. Amber Ruffin, whose co-written Some Like It Hot with Matthew López is set to open on Broadway this December, is attached to provide additional material for the limited engagement.
The “all-new” production of the Tony-winning musical adapted from L. Frank Baum’s children’s book will serve as the Broadway directorial debut for Schele Williams.
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“I wouldn’t be on Broadway if it wasn’t for The Wiz,” Williams said in a statement. “The music, the costumes, the choreography and Stephanie Mills! Seeing that show changed my life. It is, in every way, a celebration of Black excellence. I am honored to helm this production and I can’t think of a better time to tell this story.”
William F. Brown will write the book, with a score by Charlie Smalls and others. Music supervision, orchestrations and music arrangements will be helmed by Joseph Joubert with choreography led by Jaquel Knight in his Broadway debut.
“I am thrilled my father’s music and The Wiz is returning to Broadway,” said Michael Smalls, son of The Wiz composer Charlie Smalls, in a statement. “I am so happy to know a new generation will be discovering these wonderful songs and learn of my father’s extraordinary talent.”
“There’s not one piece of art that has had influence on popular culture like The Wiz,” Knight said in his own statement. “I’m humbled to not only have the opportunity to leave my own mark on a true work of art, but to continue the storytelling and legacy building on the beauty of blackness through dance, movement, & attitude.”
Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland and Ambassador Theatre Group will serve as the musical’s producer team. Casting is helmed by Tara Rubin Casting with the production’s design team to be announced at a later date.
“The Wiz is a beloved, joyous and fantastic musical celebrating Black excellence,” the producers said in a joint statement. “Inspired by the original visions of Geoffrey Holder and George Faison, we are honored to give way to a new generation of Black artists who love this show as much as we do. We are thrilled to now bring The Wiz to theatergoers around the U.S. and on Broadway.”
Before The Wiz returns to Broadway, it will first go on a national tour, starting in the same city where the original Tony-winning production staged its 1974 world premiere. Opening in the fall of 2023, the show will kick off its tour in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre before arriving in New York.
After opening in Baltimore at Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, The Wiz made its Broadway debut in 1975 at the Majestic Theatre, going on to win seven Tony Awards including best musical, best original score and best direction of a musical. The original production ran four years for a total of 1,672 performances and included a transfer to The Broadway Theatre.
André DeShields, Phylicia Rashad, Mabel King, Grace Jones, LaChanze, Colman Domingo, Orlando Jones and Ashanti are just a few of the notable names featured in major productions of The Wiz between its pre-Broadway run and its 2009 Encores! production.
The iconic 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and served as Quincy Jones’ first collaboration with Michael Jackson. The Wiz Live!, NBC’s TV production of the stage version, was broadcast in 2015.
