The all-new production of the Tony Award-winning musical The Wiz has set its Broadway opening and dropped a first-look photo as well.
News of The Wiz’s Broadway opening dates were announced on Monday by producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker.
Broadway’s latest rendition of The Wiz will star Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Remar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow and Wayne Brady as The Wiz.
Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls, The Wiz will be directed by Schele Williams with additional material by Tony and Emmy Award-nominated television writer and host Amber Ruffin.
Aside from the main cast, the ensemble of The Wiz includes Maya Bowles, Shalya Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.
The Wiz was famously adapted into a 1978 musical film starring Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor.
The Wiz will open on Broadway on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in a limited engagement at the Marquis Theatre (210 West 46th Street). Preview performances will begin on March 29.