Yahoo News ‘The Wiz’ Casts Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy for Broadway and National Tour
Nichelle Lewis will portray Dorothy in the upcoming Broadway revival of The Wiz.
The Virginian actress, who was discovered on TikTok and chosen following more than 2,000 submissions for the role, was also announced by producers on Monday as the lead in the upcoming National Tour. Kicking off in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre and running from Sept. 23-30, the tour will continue to previously announced cities across the U.S. before its limited run in New York.
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Wayne Brady was previously announced for the role of the Wiz on Broadway, following appearances in San Francisco Golden Gate Theatre and Los Angeles (Feb. 13 – March 3), with Alan Mingo Jr. portraying the role in additional tour cities additional including Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, Des Moines, Tempe and San Diego.
The musical also stars Deborah Cox as Glinda; Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene; Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion; Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman; and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow. Both Richardson and Wilson will make their Broadway debuts in their respective roles.
Lewis’ casting announcement follows the news of both Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker joining the musical’s production team, which already included Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland and Ambassador Theatre Group.
Announced in December 2022 and set to feature an infusion of ballet, jazz and modern pop, The Wiz revival will be directed by Schele Williams and features a book written by William F. Brown, with a score by Charlie Smalls and others. Music supervision, orchestrations and music arrangements are helmed by Joseph Joubert with choreography led by Jaquel Knight in his Broadway debut. Additional material comes from Tony-nominated and Emmy-nominated writer Amber Ruffin, Joseph Joubert — who worked on music supervision, orchestrations and music arrangements, as well as Allen René Louis, for vocal and music arrangements.
Its design team includes scenic designer Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Lemonade); costume designer Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls); lighting designer Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man); sound designer Jon Weston (Parade); projection designer Daniel Brodie (Motown the Musical); and wig designer Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musical).
The all-Black musical is based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and originally opened in Baltimore at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in 1974. It would transfer to Broadway’s Majestic Theatre in 1975, running for a total of 1,672 across four years, including a transfer to The Broadway Theatre. As part of the original production, the musical won seven Tony Awards, including best musical, best original score and best direction of a musical. The original production ran four years for a total of 1,672 performances and included a transfer to The Broadway Theatre.
The musical received an iconic 1978 film adaptation, which starring Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and served as Quincy Jones’ first collaboration with Michael Jackson. The Wiz Live!, NBC’s TV production of the stage version, was broadcast in 2015.
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