The Wiz
1974 musical based on the 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) in the context of contemporary African-American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974, at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore,[2] and moved to Broadway's Majestic Theatre[3] with a new cast on January 5, 1975.
The Wiz | |
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The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" | |
Music | Charlie Smalls Timothy Graphenreed Harold Wheeler George Faison Luther Vandross |
Lyrics | Charlie Smalls Zachary Walzer Luther Vandross[1] |
Book | William F. Brown |
Basis | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum |
Productions | 1974 Detroit tryout 1974 Philadelphia tryout 1975 Broadway 1976 US tour 1978 Film 1984 Broadway revival 2023 US tour 2024 Broadway revival |
Awards | Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Original Score |
The 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was an early example of Broadway's mainstream acceptance of works with an all-Black cast. It has had revivals in New York, London, San Diego, and the Netherlands, and a limited-run revival was presented by Encores! at New York City Center in June 2009. A big-budget film adaptation of the same name was released in 1978, with Ted Ross and Mabel King reprising their roles. A live television production of the stage version, The Wiz Live!, was broadcast on NBC on December 3, 2015, with an encore presentation on December 19 of the same year.