Photo by Jeremy Daniel
The Wiz, Tony Award®-winning Best Musical that took Broadway and the world by storm in 1975, is coming to Dallas Sept. 9-21. Broadway Dallas, Broadway Across America (BAA), and producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss, Todd Tucker and NETworks Presentations said the North American touring production will offer 16 performances at the Music Hall at Fair Park. The Wiz is part of the 2024/2025 Broadway series presented by Broadway Dallas.
Single tickets for THE WIZ are available at BroadwayDallas.org or by calling 800-982-2728. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 214-426-4768 or emailing [email protected].
Photo by Jeremy Daniel
The Baltimore Sun raves “Powerhouse performances. Stunning choreography. Visionary sets,” and the Chicago Tribune proclaims THE WIZ is “An eye-popping and high-intensity revival!” This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz features an iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and 70s funk, along with Dorothy’s stirring journey to find her place in a contemporary world.
The Wiz Principal Cast
Dana Cimone makes her national tour debut as Dorothy, and Alan Mingo Jr. returns to the role of The Wiz that he originated on the pre-Broadway tour and played on Broadway. Making their national tour debuts Sheherazade as Glinda and Kyla Jade as Aunt Em/Evillene, D. Jerome (MJ the Musical, Hamilton) as the Tinman, Mykal Kilgore (Motown The Musical, The Book of Mormon tour) as the Lion and Elijah Ahmad Lewis (Ain’t Too Proud, Motown The Musical) as the Scarecrow.
Photo by Jeremy Daniel
The ensemble features Maati Kheprimeni Angaza, Sai Anthony, Joseph Armon Boyd, Aliyah Caldwell, Lawrence Dandridge, Cyniah Elise, Amitria Fanae’, Kaiyla Gross, Gregory Hamilton, Maya Imani, Jesse Jones, Cal Mitchell, Moriah Perry, Leon Ray, Ephraim Takyi, Josh Walker, Lyn Webber, Kameren Whigham, Mikayla White and Chanse Williams.
Creative Team for The Wiz
With a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others), director Schele Williams (The Notebook), award-winning choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Black is King), additional material by Tony-nominated and Emmy-nominated writer and TV host Amber Ruffin (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers”), Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), Allen René Louis (vocal arrangements, music arrangements), and Emmy Award®-winning music director and Grammy Award®-winning writer, Adam Blackstone and Terence Vaughn (Dance Music Arrangers) conjure up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop bring a whole new groove to easing on down the road.
THE WIZ design team includes scenic design by Academy Award-winning Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Lemonade), costume design by Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award-winning Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man), sound design by Jon Weston (Parade), video and projection design by Daniel Brodie (Motown the Musical), wig design by Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musical) and make-up design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche (The Piano Lesson). Casting is by TRC Casting Company.
Photo by Jeremy Daniel
The production also includes ‘Everybody Rejoice’ music and lyrics by Luther Vandross, as well as the ‘Emerald City Ballet’ with music by Timothy Graphenreed. 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.
Broadway Premiere in 1975
THE WIZ premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation, going on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ted Ross), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Dee Dee Bridgewater), Best Choreography (George Faison), and in a Broadway first, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder). “Ease on Down the Road” became the show’s break-out single, and “Home” has since become a bona fide classic.
That original production ran for four years (first at The Majestic Theatre and later at The Broadway Theatre) – and 1,672 performances – on Broadway. A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and marked Quincy Jones’ first collaboration with Michael Jackson. The most recent Broadway revival played from March to August 2024 at the Marquis Theater in NYC.