NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A new production of 鈥淭he Wiz鈥� is heading out on a national tour next year before following the yellow brick road to Broadway, with its director hoping the show becomes a 鈥渢ouchstone for a new generation.鈥�
Director Schele Williams tells The Associated Press that it's a very personal musical for her, creating possibilities in her mind as a girl when she saw it.
鈥淚t was the first time I was able to ever imagine myself on Broadway. It was because of 鈥楾he Wiz.鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to awaken those dreams in other little Black girls like me.鈥�
The tour launches in the fall in Baltimore, home of the 1974 world premiere of the musical. Following its run at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, the tour will cross the country before it starts its limited engagement on Broadway in spring 2024.
鈥淢y goal with this show is for it to be an extraordinary celebration of Black culture, for it to be a touchstone for a new generation in the way that it was for my generation," said Williams.
The new show will be choreographed by JaQuel Knight and music supervision, orchestrations and music arrangements are by Joseph Joubert.
The show was adapted from 鈥淭he Wonderful Wizard of Oz鈥� by L. Frank Baum, with a book by William F. Brown, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls.
鈥淭he Wiz鈥� opened on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tonys, including best musical. It has such classic songs as 鈥淲hat Would I Do If I Could Feel鈥� and 鈥淓ase On Down the Road.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want 鈥楾he Wiz鈥� to become anything that it鈥檚 not. But I am excited for it to become a more timeless score. So we鈥檙e going to look at how do we do that while also honoring where it came from and the sound that it originally had,鈥� said Williams.
She will be making her Broadway directorial debut with 鈥淭he Wiz.鈥� Previously, she was the associate director of 鈥淢otown: The Musical,鈥� and re-conceived and directed the recent national tour of the show. She is currently in London directing 鈥淢andela,鈥� a new musical inspired by the life of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela.
A 1978 movie version of 鈥淭he Wiz鈥� starred Diana Ross, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor. Michael Jackson co-starred as the Scarecrow, with Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man and Ted Ross as the Lion. NBC televised a live version in 2015 with Queen Latifah, Ne-Yo and David Alan Grier.
The original Broadway production featured Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Dee Dee Bridgewater as good witch Glinda and Andre De Shields as the Wiz. Mills returned as Dorothy in a 1984 revival.
鈥淚鈥檓 mostly excited more than anything that this is going to be a show that my kids are going to enjoy. My daughters are 11 and 12, and this is now going to be their show, and I鈥檓 really excited about that,鈥� said Williams.
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
