{"id":82695,"date":"2024-05-10T12:04:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T16:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/05\/10\/behind-the-big-broadway-return-of-the-wiz\/"},"modified":"2024-05-10T12:04:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T16:04:19","slug":"behind-the-big-broadway-return-of-the-wiz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/05\/10\/behind-the-big-broadway-return-of-the-wiz\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Big Broadway Return of \u2018The\u00a0Wiz\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tFrom its 1975 debut on Broadway as \u201cthe super soul musical,\u201d winning seven Tony Awards and spotlighting stars like Stephanie Mills, Hinton Battle, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Andre De Shields; to its Oscar-nominated screen adaptation starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson among others; to its sing-along songs like \u201cEase on Down the Road,\u201d \u201cHome\u201d and \u201cBelieve,\u201d The Wiz<\/em> has become a modern-day musical theater classic \u2014 and in its retelling of The Wizard of Oz<\/em> through the lens of Black culture and music, a landmark in Broadway history.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\u2018THE WIZ\u2019 2024 Broadway Cast Recording Is Coming This\u00a0Summer\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tYet the show has only had one official Broadway revival, in 1984, which ran for a grand total of 20 performances \u2014 until now. A major new production of The Wiz<\/em> is playing at the Marquis Theatre, and four of the stars of its cast and creative team \u2014 actors Wayne Brady and Deborah Cox; choreographer JaQuel Knight; and writer Amber Ruffin, who created additional material working with the show\u2019s original book \u2014 stopped by Billboard News recently to talk about why the show is still a groundbreaker and a hugely entertaining crowd-pleaser.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor all four, The Wiz<\/em> was a formative show, influencing their career paths in entertainment and showing what was possible for Black artists. \u201cIt was one of the drivers that made me go, \u2018Oh, I think I can do this,’\u201d says Brady. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe film was just life-changing \u2014 it allowed me to see life as a choreographer and understand the essence and energy of movement,\u201d adds Knight, known for his work with major pop artists including Beyonc\u00e9, Megan Thee Stallion, Zara Larsson, J Balvin and more. <\/p>\n

\n\tFor Ruffin, The Wiz<\/em> was \u201ca real introduction to Black weirdness not connected to Black pain\u2026The Wiz<\/em> is the thing that gives you permission to be your artsiest, weirdest self and just do what\u2019s in your weird little heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBrady, who\u2019s starred in previous Broadway productions including Kinky Boots<\/em> and Chicago<\/em>, plays the showman titular character, while R&B veteran Cox displays vocal pyrotechnics as Glinda. Both discuss The Wiz<\/em>\u2018s enduring significance as a universally welcoming show \u2014 and proof that Broadway can continue to diversify and evolve. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis show is a testament to what you can do when you display Black people and Black culture not as a monolith,\u201d says Cox. \u201cWe are all of it, and we are the origin of it, and I think this show is the beginning of what you\u2019ll be seeing a lot more of on Broadway.\u201d Adds Brady: \u201cIt\u2019s a true display of Black excellence in every form. It\u2019s so rich.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tTo hear what else Brady, Cox, Knight and Ruffin had to say, watch the video above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From its 1975 debut on Broadway as \u201cthe super soul musical,\u201d winning seven Tony Awards and spotlighting stars like Stephanie Mills, Hinton Battle, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Andre De Shields; to its Oscar-nominated screen adaptation starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson among others; to its sing-along songs like \u201cEase on Down the Road,\u201d \u201cHome\u201d and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82695\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}