Everybody look around! The Tony Award®-winning Best Musical that took the world by storm is back and returning to Chicago!
Broadway In Chicago, along with producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss, Todd Tucker and NETworks Presentations are thrilled to announce that tickets for the Chicago engagement of THE WIZ will go on sale Friday, January 30. THE WIZ will play Broadway In Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.) for a limited one-week engagement, March 31 – April 5.
The Baltimore Sun raves “Powerhouse performances. Stunning choreography. Visionary sets” and the Chicago Sun-Times proclaims THE WIZ is “An eye-popping and high-intensity revival!”
This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.
The principal cast includes Dana Cimone, making her national tour debut, as Dorothy, Alan Mingo Jr., returning to the role he originated on the pre-Broadway tour and played on Broadway as The Wiz, also making their national tour debuts Sheherazade as Glinda and Kyla Jade as Aunt Em/Evillene, D. Jerome (MJ the Musical, Hamilton) as the Tinman, Cal Mitchell (The White Rose, The Color Purple) as the Lion and Elijah Ahmad Lewis (Ain't Too Proud, Motown The Musical ) as the Scarecrow.
The ensemble features Maati Kheprimeni Angaza, Sai Anthony, Joseph Armon Boyd, Aliyah Caldwell, Robert Crenshaw, Lawrence Dandridge, Cyniah Elise, Amitria Fanae’, Gregory Hamilton, Maya Imani, Jesse Jones, Phoenix LaFreniere, Micah Jeremiah Mims, Nia Nelson-Williams, Moriah Perry, Leon Ray, Daja M. Rice, Khi’Shawn A’Quez Robinson, Madison Scott, Ephraim Takyi, Kameren Whigham and Chanse Williams.
Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others), director Schele Williams (The Notebook), award-winning choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Black is King), additional material by Tony-nominated and Emmy-nominated writer and TV host Amber Ruffin (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers”), Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), Allen René Louis (vocal arrangements, music arrangements), and Emmy Award®- winning music director and Grammy Award®-winning writer, Adam Blackstone and Terence Vaughn (Dance Music Arrangers) conjure up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop bring a whole new groove to easing on down the road.
THE WIZ design team includes scenic design by Academy Award-winning Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Lemonade), costume design by Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award-winning Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man), sound design by Jon Weston (Parade), video and projection design by Daniel Brodie (Motown the Musical), wig design by Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musica l) and make-up design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche (The Piano Lesson). Casting is by TRC Casting Company.
The production also includes ‘Everybody Rejoice’ music and lyrics by Luther Vandross, as well as the ‘Emerald City Ballet’ with music by Timothy Graphenreed.
Based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, THE WIZ takes one of the world’s most enduring (and enduringly white) American fantasies and transforms it into an all-Black musical extravaganza for the ages.
THE WIZ premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation, going on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ted Ross), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Dee Dee Bridgewater), Best Choreography (George Faison), and in a Broadway first, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder). “Ease on Down the Road” became the show’s break-out single, and “Home” has since become a bona fide classic. That original production ran for four years (first at The Majestic Theatre and later at The Broadway Theatre) – and 1,672 performances – on Broadway. A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and marked Quincy Jones’ first collaboration with Michael Jackson. The most recent Broadway revival played from March to August 2024 at the Marquis Theater in NYC.
Additional information on tour cities, venues, performance schedules and single ticket on sale dates are available at WizMusical.com and follow THE WIZ on social media channels.
Follow @thewizbway on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 31 – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 1 – 1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 2 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 3 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 5 – 1:00 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION (as of January 29, based on availability and subject to change)
Individual tickets for THE WIZ will go on sale Friday, January 30 and range from $43.00 - $121.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Ticket price listed is when purchased in person at the box office. Additional fees apply for online purchases. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 26 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, The Auditorium, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.
For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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