The Wiz Live! Cast Hits the Yellow Brick Road in First Teaser Trailer
November 04, 2015
NBC has released the first teaser trailer for its upcoming production of The Wiz Live! This star-studded adaptation of the Tony-award winning musical is set to air in exactly one month. The promo, released on Tuesday, shows the core cast as they hit the Yellow Brick Road while singing the musical's unforgettable Ease on Down the Road.
Ingénue Shanice Williams is Dorothy in this high profile cast. The 19-year-old newcomer was selected for the lead role after auditioning at an open call in June. Williams is joined by singer/songwriter Ne-Yo as Tin Man, veteran of stage and screen and comedian extraordinaire David Alan Grier as Cowardly Lion, and actor Elijah Kelley as Scarecrow.
I am excited to see how Tony award winning director Kenny Leon brings the story of The Wiz to a new generation. I remember watching The Wiz as a young girl and being mesmerized. The 1978 film adaptation of The Wiz was full of amazingly talented stars like Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Lena Horne. Stephanie Mills who will play Auntie Em in The Wiz Live originated the role of Dorothy as part of the original 1975 cast of this Broadway musical. I remember hearing Stephanie Mill's version of Home and being filled with so much emotion. It was so much more dynamic that Ross's version in the film. I don't think I've heard a version of Home that I like as much as hers.
The cast of The Wiz Live! also includes Queen Latifah as The Wiz, Uzo Aduba as Glinda the Good Witch of the South, Amber Riley as Addaperle the Good Witch of the North, Common as The Bouncer, and Mary J. Blige as Evillene the Wicked Witch of the West.
NBC Synopsis:
NBC embarks on its latest musical holiday tradition: a 3-hour LIVE event production of the groundbreaking Broadway show that brought Oz to life in a funky sing-along journey down the yellow brick road. Winner of 7 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the original massive Broadway hit spawned a feature film starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Now, a Tony-winning creative team, the imaginative Cirque du Soleil Theatrical and a diverse cast of showstoppers create an eye-popping new take unlike anything ever seen.Check out the first look at The Wiz Live! as the cast hits the Yellow Brick Road:
Photo credit: Youtube/NBC
The Wiz Live! airs Thursday,3 December at 8/7 c on NBC.
0 comments