This article is about the stage musical. For the film adaptation, see The Wiz (film). The Wiz is a 1978 American Musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October For other uses, see Wiz (disambiguation).

The Wiz
Original Cast Recording
Music	Charlie Smalls
Lyrics	Charlie Smalls
Book	William F. Charlie Smalls ( October 25, 1943 – August 27, 1987) was an American Composer and Songwriter, best known for Brown
Based upon	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Productions	1975 Broadway 1984 Broadway Revival 2006 San Diego
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Original Score

The Wiz is a 1975 Broadway musical, based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, exclusively featuring African American actors. Lyman Frank Baum ( May 15 1856 &ndash May 5 1919) was an American Author, Actor, and Independent filmmaker Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located A revival is a restaging of a former hit play at a later date Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical first awarded in 1949 The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the Composers and Lyricists of the best original score written for a musical Events January 2 - New York City US District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers Lyman Frank Baum ( May 15 1856 &ndash May 5 1919) was an American Author, Actor, and Independent filmmaker African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works The play features music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, and its original cast featured Stephanie Mills, Hinton Battle, Tiger Haynes, Ted Ross, Dee Dee Bridgewater, André DeShields, Tasha Thomas and Mabel King. For the TV series character see Stephanie Mills (All in the Family Stephanie Mills (born March 22, 1957 in Hinton G Battle (born 29 November 1956) is an American Actor, Dancer, and dance instructor Tiger Haynes ( December 13, 1914 - February 14, 1994) was an American actor and musical performer Ted Ross ( June 30 1934 - September 3 2002) born Theodore Ross Roberts in Zanesville Ohio, was an American actor Dee Dee Bridgewater (born May 27, 1950) is an American Jazz Singer. André DeShields (born January 12 1946 in Baltimore Maryland) is an American Actor, Singer, Dancer, Choreographer Mabel King ( December 25, 1932 – November 9, 1999) was an American film stage and TV actress. The Broadway show opened on January 5, 1975 on the Majestic Theatre and ended in May of 1977. Events 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Majestic Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 245 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan. MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The show moved to broadway for the final two years and ended on January 28, 1979, and ran for 1,672 performances. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) A motion picture adaptation of The Wiz was produced in 1978 (see 1978 in film) by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, and Mabel King. The Wiz is a 1978 American Musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The year 1978 in film involved some significant events Top grossing films (U de Passe Entertainment is an American Film and Television production company run by entertainment executive Suzanne de Passe. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Julius "Nipsey" Russell ( September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005) was an American Comedian, best known today Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917) is an iconic American singer and Actress. Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III ( December 1, 1940 &ndash December 10, 2005) was an American Comedian, Actor

History

The musical was famous for its portrayal of the Wizard of Oz characters as African Americans. It was also one of the most popular musicals of the time.

Broadway musical

The Broadway musical opened on January 5, 1975 with Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Hinton Battle as Scarecrow, Tiger Haynes as Tin Man, Ted Ross as Lion, Dee Dee Bridgewater as Glinda the Good Witch, André DeShields as the Wiz and Mabel King as Evillene the Wicked Witch of the West. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Events 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the TV series character see Stephanie Mills (All in the Family Stephanie Mills (born March 22, 1957 in Dorothy Gale is a Fictional character, the Protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L Hinton G Battle (born 29 November 1956) is an American Actor, Dancer, and dance instructor The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L Dee Dee Bridgewater (born May 27, 1950) is an American Jazz Singer. Glinda (or Glinda the Good Witch) is a Fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L André DeShields (born January 12 1946 in Baltimore Maryland) is an American Actor, Singer, Dancer, Choreographer Mabel King ( December 25, 1932 – November 9, 1999) was an American film stage and TV actress. The Wicked Witch of the West (or simply The Wicked Witch) is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L The production was directed by Geoffrey Holder. Geoffrey Holder (born August 1 1930) is a Trinidadian Actor, Choreographer, Dancer, painter, Costume The Wiz opened at the Majestic Theatre and later moved to The Broadway Theatre. The Majestic Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 245 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan. The Broadway Theatre (formerly Universal's Colony Theatre, BS It ran for four years and over 1600 performances, and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical first awarded in 1949 The most popular song from the production was "Ease on Down the Road", sung by the characters as they dance down the Yellow Brick Road. " Ease On Down the Road " is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz, best known in its 1978 release as a Duet

Along with other musicals like Purlie (1971) and Raisin (1974), The Wiz was a breakthrough for Broadway, a large-scale big-budget musical featuring an all-black cast. Purlie is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose and Peter Udell lyrics by Udell and music by Gary Geld Raisin is a Musical theatre adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play A Raisin in the Sun, with songs by Judd Woldin and It laid the foundation for later African-American hits like Bubbling Brown Sugar, Dreamgirls and Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies. Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, which opened on December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre.

It never performed on London's West End, but a handful of amateur and semi-professional productions have appeared in Britain with black and non-black casts. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland"

During the tour, Stephanie Mills was replaced by Rene Harris in 1976. For the TV series character see Stephanie Mills (All in the Family Stephanie Mills (born March 22, 1957 in HE René Reynaldo Harris MP ( November 11, 1947 &ndash July 5, 2008) was President of the Republic of Nauru four Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Deborah Malone replaced Harris in 1978. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar)

Motion picture

For more details on this topic, see The Wiz (film). The Wiz is a 1978 American Musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October

Motown Productions acquired the film rights to The Wiz in 1977, and signed Stephanie Mills in anticipation of having her star in the film adaptation. de Passe Entertainment is an American Film and Television production company run by entertainment executive Suzanne de Passe. For the TV series character see Stephanie Mills (All in the Family Stephanie Mills (born March 22, 1957 in Motown singer and actress Diana Ross asked Motown CEO Berry Gordy to cast her as Dorothy instead, but Gordy declined, feeling the thirty-three year old Ross was far too old for the part. Diana Ross (born March 261944 is an American twelve-time Grammy and Oscar -nominated singer Record producer and actress whose musical repertoire Berry Gordy Jr (born November 28, 1929, Detroit Michigan) is an American Record producer, and the founder of the Motown However, Ross contacted Rob Cohen of Universal Pictures, who offered to have Universal finance the film if Ross were to play Dorothy, at which point Gordy acquiesced. Robert Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American Film director, producer and Writer. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American

The resulting film version of The Wiz also starred former Motown star Michael Jackson as The Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man, and Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Julius "Nipsey" Russell ( September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005) was an American Comedian, best known today Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917) is an iconic American singer and Actress. Ted Ross and Mabel King reprised their respective roles of the Cowardly Lion and Evilene from the Broadway production. Sidney Lumet served as director, working with screenwriter Joel Schumacher (who used none of Brown's stage script) and music supervisor Quincy Jones. Sidney Lumet (born June 25 1924) is an Academy Award -receiving American Film director, with over 50 Films to his name Joel Schumacher (born August 29, 1939 in New York City) is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer Quincy Delight Jones Jr (born March 14, 1933) also known as Q, is an American Music Impresario, conductor Although the stage musical's setting begins in Kansas before moving into the fanciful Oz (as do most other versions of the Oz stories), the film version of The Wiz is set in New York City: Dorothy's real-life home is in Harlem, and the Oz of the film is an alternate fantasy version of the rest of New York City. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " The City of New York Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center The $22 million production was poorly received by critics and grossed only $12 million during its original theatrical release.

The Wiz was Michael Jackson's first feature film, and Diana Ross's final theatrical feature film. Its commercial failure helped to bring to an end the stream of all-black films that had begun with the "blaxploitation film" era of the 1970s. Blaxploitation is a Film genre that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s when many Exploitation films were made that targeted the urban ^[1][2] However, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones's collaboration on the film's soundtrack led to Jones producing three of Jackson's most successful albums, Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Thriller is the sixth Studio album by American pop musician Michael Jackson. Bad is the seventh Studio album by pop singer Michael Jackson, released on August 31 1987 by Epic/CBS Records. In later years, due to its recurrent broadcasts on television, The Wiz has become something of a cult classic among African-American audiences. A cult film is a Film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. ^[3]

Dueling revivals: America vs. Holland

The Wiz was revived on Broadway in 1984 with Stephanie Mills reprising her role as Dorothy. The production, which played at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, was a flop, lasting only 13 performances.

Dodger Productions acquired the worldwide rights to revive the Wiz in 2004. It is rumored that when Dodger Productions and Joop Van den Ende's Stage Entertainment split in 2005, the worldwide rights to the revival were split between the two companies, with the Dodgers retaining the US rights, while Stage Entertainment kept the European rights.

The new American production of The Wiz began in September 2006 at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California San Diego. Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff, and with Harold Wheeler, orchestrator of the original Broadway version, have revised the show for contemporary audiences. Desmond McAnuff (born June 19, 1952) is an American director of Musical theatre of such Broadway productions as Big River and Harold Wheeler (born June 14 1943 in St Louis, Missouri) is an orchestrator composer conductor arranger record producer and music director It starred David Alan Grier and featured sets by Robert Brill. David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1955) is an American Actor and Comedian known for his work on the Sketch comedy television Its run was extended by more than three weeks due to popular demand, and it is rumored to be headed for Broadway. However, there has been no official word on this matter.

Simultaneously, Joop Van den Ende's Stage Entertainment is mounting a full-scale, Broadway-caliber production at the Beatrix Theater in Utrecht, Holland. Directed by Glen Castle, the production will feature choreography by Anthony Van Laast of Mamma Mia fame, sets by Tony Award winner David Gallo and costumes by Miguel Humidor. David Gallo (born January 10, 1966) is an American Scenic designer working primarily in Broadway, Off Broadway and international theater It stars a number of Dutch theater and music stars.

Stage Entertainment also acquired ownership of Dodger Stages, a multi-theater Off-Broadway venue in New York City (now dubbed New World Stages) in the break-up.

See also

• The Wizard of Oz (adaptations) — other adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

References

1. ^ Moon, Spencer; George Hill (1997). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works the most famous being the 1939 film Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers. Greenwood Press, xii. ISBN 0313298300.  
2. ^ Benshoff, Harry M. ; Sean Griffin (2004). America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Blackwell Publishing, Page 88. ISBN 0631225838.  
3. ^ Nowlan, Robert A. ; Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan (1989). Cinema Sequels and Remakes, 1903-1987. McFarland & Co Inc Pub, Page 834. ISBN 0899503144.  

External links

• "The Wiz" unofficial website
• The Wiz at FlyRope
• The Wiz at the Internet Broadway Database

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