ALL-NEW “THE WIZ” ANNOUNCES COMPLETE NATIONAL TOUR ROUTE
Broadway Press Contacts:
Rick Miramontez / Amanda Meyer / Kianga Moore
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Tour Press Contacts:
Bond Theatrical
Marc Viscardi/ Linda Stewart /Janiya Wade
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
THE COMPLETE NATIONAL TOUR ROUTE
FOR THE ALL-NEW
“THE WIZ”
IS ANNOUNCED
LAUNCHING THIS FALL IN BALTIMORE
AHEAD OF ITS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RETURN TO BROADWAY
VIDEO HERE OF CREATIVE TEAM
New York, NY (May 8, 2023) – Producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, and Ambassador Theatre Group announced the complete coast-to-coast tour route for the all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical The Wiz, in advance of its highly anticipated Broadway return in the Spring of 2024.
As previously announced, The Wiz will launch the national tour this Fall in Baltimore, the home of the original 1974 world premiere of the musical.
Following its run at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre, the tour will go on to have engagements 13 cities, giving more than 150 performances across the country.
Tickets are currently available exclusively as part of season subscription packages and group sales in each tour city. Additional information on tour cities, venues, performance schedules and single ticket on sale dates is available at WizBroadway.com. Fans can now sign up for an email newsletter with up-to-date information as well as follow The Wiz on social media channels.
The complete tour schedule includes:
Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others), director Schele Williams (The Notebook, revival of Disney’s Aida), choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”), Amber Ruffin (additional material), Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements) and Allen Rene Louis (vocal arrangements, music arrangements) are conjuring up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop will bring a whole new groove to easing on down the road.
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 will also include scenic design by Academy Award winner Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyonce’s Black is King and Lemonade), costume design by Emmy Award winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award winner Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man) and wig design by Academy Award winner Mia Neal (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom).
The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an sensation, winning 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 by the same person (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. A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne and Michael Jackson, marking his first collaboration with Quincy Jones.
Casting, to be announced, is by Tara Rubin Casting. Download creative team headshots here, and a video here.
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