THE WIZ Previews

A brand-new day is finally here!

After nearly 50 years, The Wiz finally receives its first Broadway revival, as previews begin tomorrow night (March 29) at the Marquis Theatre. This production arrives in New York after touring 13 American cities; a second tour leg will follow the conclusion of the Broadway run. The iconic all-Black “super soul musical” introduces Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, with Wayne Brady as The Wiz and Deborah Cox as Glinda. Rounding out the principal cast are Melody A. Betts, Kyle Ramar Freeman, Philip Johnson Richardson, and Avery Wilson. The Wiz features a score by Charlie Smalls, a book by William F. Brown (with additional material for this production by Amber Ruffin), choreography by JaQuel Knight, and direction by Schele Williams. Opening night is April 17; it will run through August 18.

“Based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’ The Wiz takes one of the world’s most enduring (and enduringly white) American fantasies, and transforms it into an all-Black musical extravaganza for the ages.”

Who’s easing on down to 46th Street?

I've seen enough photos of this production to know that it's not for me - the design looks like an absolute disaster. I am, however, anxiously awaiting what other members of the board have to say :)

qafgenius122 said: "Intermission of the Invited Dress ran verrrry long. Then act 2 started…. And after the opening number the curtain came down. Schele Williams came out and informed us there was an injury during act 1 (which I clearly didn’t notice tho I have suspicions) and the long wait was used to decide what we would see for act 2. We ended the night finally meeting The Wiz in his opening number. Then we were sent home.

guess we have to go back"

Very interesting. If there was an injury, I really hope they are okay. But even if there wasn't, this sounds like it was going to run very late and I think that would cause issues with all of the union members backstage and front of house going into overtime. 

Oh crap, hope he's OK. He's one of the best members of the cast 

There absolutely was an injury. My friend and I noticed immediately. The Tin Man is supposed to end his number on a tree stump and slipped getting on, completely fell down. He remained offstage for the Lion’s number and you could see him sitting down offstage from where I was sitting. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

The vocals in this production remain to be top tier and the crowd around me was fully on board, especially the act one finale “Be A Lion.” Looking forward to going back!

Updated On: 3/29/24 at 08:27 AM

ACL2006 said: "Let's see if tonight's preview goes on or if they're rehearsal his understudy?"

Saw on an Insta story that Polanco Jones Jr. is on for the Tin Man at tonight’s first preview. Two swings also on. 

Updated On: 3/29/24 at 08:09 PM

TodayTix lists a 2:20 runtime, including intermission. 

Whenever reports are bad on things like this or Funny Girl I always return to the question, how much of the response to this is because it's just not good to begin with?

Just to be clear, I meant you could feel the energy from the audience fade, not from the cast. 

I have to say, my friends and I  loved it.    The cast was sensational, and all the voices are insanely wonderful --- even the understudy got a huge response.   A lot of the choreography is thrilling.  Very contemporary and today, not Broadway at all.  I loved Amber Ruffin's book a lot.   It's very funny, and she mixes in these observations about their characters and their backstories that were really interesting.  The costumes were amazing, and the sets worked for me.    It's a story with a lot of locations and it moved along quickly.   There were sound issues throughout, but that's probably to be expected for a first preview.   The audience was all for it, but it was also first preview.   Probably a lot of family and friends throughout.   

So with the 2 million they raised what has changed ? All I see is a new curtain. They couldn’t fix the Lion costume? Oye 

There is no Toto. 

I'm disappointed that this doesn't seem poised to be a success. The Live version from a few years back showed promise. Did they keep the new songs, like "You Ain't Gonna Give Up On Me Now" or Neyo's "What Would I Do If I Could Feel" from that broadcast?

It's definitely a show that could have used some sprucing up. If people already have Wicked on Broadway, and the Wizard of Oz on DVD at home, you've got to deliver really, really strong alternative Oz material. The songs in the original Wiz are a bit of a mixed bag, from what I remember...