The Wiz, now running at the Marquis Theatre, will release a 2024 Broadway Cast Recording on July 12 through Immersive/Interscope Records. The Broadway revival, directed by Schele Williams, opened April 17 following a 13-city North American tour.
An all-Black retelling of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Wiz debuted on Broadway in 1975. The revival presents Tony nominee Joseph Joubert's arrangements and orchestrations of Charlie Smalls' original Tony-winning score, with music and vocal arrangements by Allen René Louis. Tony nominee Amber Ruffin lends new material to the original book by William F. Brown. Choreography is by JaQuel Knight.
Featuring such beloved numbers as “Ease On Down the Road,” “Be A Lion,” “Home” and “Brand New Day,” the show stars Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em/Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow and Wayne Brady as The Wiz.
The ensemble includes Lauryn Adams, Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Alan Mingo, Jr., Anthony Murphy, Dustin Praylow, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington and Timothy Wilson.