Wayne Brady To Star As ‘The Wiz’ On Broadway
The Broadway revival of The Wiz has found its star. Wayne Brady has been named to the role as the musical returns to the stage in spring 2024. According to Deadline, the 51-year-old will also play the Wiz during the San Francisco and Los Angeles tour stops set for early next year.
Alan Mingo Jr. will lead in the role during many of the production’s pre-Broadway tour dates during the national tour in the fall of 2024. The run will hit cities like Cleveland, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and more.
The outlet reported additional casting, including the leading role of Dorothy, is set to be announced in the coming weeks. Previously announced talent includes Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow.
The return of The Wiz to Broadway was first announced in December 2022, with Schele Williams being named as director. Other talents booked for the stageplay include choreographer JaQuel Knight and comedian Amber Ruffin. Additionally, Joseph Joubert and Allen René Louis are working on music.
Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker joined the production last month “with their hands in a bit of everything on the project.”
“We have always said we want to help open the doors of theatre to all people,” the couple explained in a joint statement. “Theatre has the power to influence and inspire people to create change through art, and that is what we all need now.”
Originally, The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 with Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The stageplay found inspiration in L. Frank Baum’s children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and laid the framework for the 1978 film The Wiz, starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross.
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