The Official WIZ Casting Announcement

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:57pm

Apparently Mary Testa will NOT be playing Evilene -- I take it the whole "non-traditional casting" rumor was just that ...... a rumor.

From Variety:

"Wayne Brady and David Alan Grier will star in the La Jolla Playhouse revival of "The Wiz," playing the scarecrow and the title role, respectively, in the 1975 African-American adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz."

Helmed by outgoing La Jolla a.d. Des McAnuff, who directed last season's big Tony winner "Jersey Boys," the production is the first high-profile revival of the tuner since a short-lived 1984 Broadway visit. Even before casting was announced, those in legit circle were talking about the show as a strong candidate for a Gotham transfer.

Nikki M. James ("All Shook Up") has been cast as Dorothy, with "Jersey Boys" vet Tituss Burgess as the lion and Michael Benjamin Washington ("La Cage aux Folles") as the Tinman.

McAnuff has said he and original orchestrator Harold Wheeler will aim to give the music a contemporary sound. (Tunes are by Charlie Smalls, with book by William F. Brown.)

Original concept also will be tweaked, with an environmental set by Robert Brill ("Cabaret"), as well as the addition of a dancer (Albert Blaise Cattafi) in the role of Toto instead of an actual dog.

Other "Jersey" collaborators involved in "The Wiz" are lighting designer Howell Binkley (who took home a Tony for his lighting design on "Jersey") and choreographer Sergio Trujillo. Paul Tazewell ("The Color Purple") provides costumes.

Also in the cast are E. Faye Butler as wicked witch Evillene, Orville Mendoza ("Pacific Overtures") as Uncle Henry and Valarie Pettiford ("Half & Half") as both Aunt Em and Glinda. Heather Lee ("Gypsy") plays another witch, Addaperle."


http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117947322?categoryid=15&cs=1

Updated On: 7/24/06 at 09:57 PM

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:59pm

Nikki James YES! Thank you God...can't wait to see her she's gonna be a force!

Updated On: 7/24/06 at 09:59 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:00pm

Dear Lord,

Thank you for casting a black woman as Evilene. As pentance, I will gladly accept that a male dancer is playing the dog, Toto. I pray Des McAnuff knows what he is doing. Thank God he at least not completely lost his mind.

XOXO,
MB

[Just_John]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:01pm

I don't like the dancer as the dog decision.

[soapguy17]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:01pm

I'm glad it's announced through, this wasn't worth the wait. It's not bad, but it's not exciting.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:03pm

Hmmm. Will Wayne Brady show up for work this time?

He was out A LOT in Chicago on Broadway. And dropped out of the LA stop on the tour last minute.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:06pm

Sounds good to me. I hope it does get a Broadway transfer.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:06pm

Well, Heather Lee is white and Orville Mendoza is asian, so they are still doing the "non-traditional" casting thing; but happilly not for the "blackest" role in the show.

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:08pm

I hope it gets recorded

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:08pm

I bet the dog gets canned before a transfer, if it gets one.
Someone lost their nerve or vision of a non-traditional WIZ!
Not that that's a bad thing.
I would have enjoyed Testa in a token White Role.
Updated On: 7/24/06 at 10:08 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:10pm

A token white role would have been like the Guardian of the Gates. Mary Testa can play that role if it transfers.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:32pm

I'm really happy that Valarie Pettiford is doing Glinda. She anounced it at her Nightclub act a week ago, but still sounded unsure. She did an amazing rendition of "Believe in Yourself."

[Kevo711]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:38pm

Yes!!! Nikki M. James is going to be amazing! Congrats to all involved!

[luvliza89]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:41pm

Is excited. This show best be recorded.

[AC126748]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:41pm

Nikki James is a PERFECT choice for Dorothy. She totally floored me when I saw her in Bernarda Alba earlier this year. I have no doubt that she'll be stellar.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:44pm

ljay, the reason why Wayne was out so much is because he got very sick at the last minute.

I'm excited to see that he's in the show.

[otis33]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:51pm

Very exciting! I have a friend in the ensemble. I can't wait to see it - I've never seen it on stage.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:01pm

Amazing casting! I wish I could see this.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:06pm

ljay, the reason why Wayne was out so much is because he got very sick at the last minute.


I recall him getting "sick" for the LA tour stop.

but he was consistently out during his Broadway stint.

[AC126748]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:07pm

I saw Wayne here in New York and he gave a solid performance, if nothing special.

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:10pm

Aww Nikki is on the main page! So gorgeous...

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:28pm

No Savion Glover or Mos Def .


I do like the idea of Grier as the Wizard though. Although the updated orchestrations scare me. No one needs to hear Wayne Brady rap.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:43pm

I told ya Nikki was doin' it!

Here's praying it transfers.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:44pm

I don't think any of us objected at all to some of the roles being non-traditionally cast, but it just would have been a little odd if -- in this show that was originally created and conceived specifically to be the Wizard of Oz filtered through the prism of 70s black urban culture -- Dorothy, Aunt Em, Evilene and a couple of others had been cast with non-African Americans.

I'm also relieved somewhat that Harold Wheeler himself (who did the original) will be doing the updated orchestrations. I was a bit worried that the job would be given to some young hip-hop remixer or something (which would be great for another NEW "urban" show, but could potentially be disastrous for Charlie Smalls' very traditional 1970s r&b score). I'm sure Wheeler (who also orchestrated Dreamgirls, The Life, Hairspray, DRS, Lennon et al) will be able to give the score a more contemporary, less dated sound while still staying true to the basic feel of the music (I don't foresee Wheeler -- who's hardly of the hip-hop generation -- adding much in the way of rapping to the show).

It'll be interesting to see what tweaks have been done to the book, as well. Overall, this announcement makes the entire enterprise sound much more promising than it did when the rumors started circulating.

Updated On: 7/24/06 at 11:44 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 11:52pm

I would actually prefer that the entire cast was black, because I do believe that is how the show was conceived and written. However, we do live in a very PC world, and so I'll take what I can get. I do wonder if it won't seem a little odd, though, to have a mostly black cast with just a couple of clearly token white and asians thrown in as small roles.

I agree with Curtain, that I believe McAnuff was planning on something a little more "rainbow colored" in his casting and got cold feet.