The Wiz
by William F Brown, Charlie Smalls
Highlights
Awards & Recognition
Winner! Seven 1975 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Winner! Five 1975 Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical
Synopsis
Original 1975 version!
A beloved Broadway gem, The Wiz infuses L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with a dazzling mix of rock, gospel and soul music.
This timeless tale of Dorothy’s adventures through the Land of Oz is a fun, family-friendly, modern musical and one of the most popular shows in the Concord Theatricals catalog.
Press Reviews
"A continuous festival of movement... splendid character songs."
— WWD
"A carnival of fun... [a] wickedly amusing show."
— TIME
"A virtual musical circus... driving rhythms, soaring songs... boisterous, exuberant."
— WABC-TV
"Unquestionably, the humor and the heartbeat of the piece remain African-American at their source, but the overall effect is pluralistic and inclusive."
— Variety
Characters
| Character |
|---|
DOROTHY Bright eyed and alive as can be. Would rather remain a child as long as possible instead of accepting the responsibilities of adulthood. |
SCARECROW Tired of being a scarecrow and the prospect of not going anywhere. Embarks on the journey to see The Wiz in hopes he can provide a brain. |
TIN MAN Human at one time. Lost all his limbs to a cursed axe. Joins in the journey in hopes the Wiz will provide him a heart because “it isn’t enough to be good looking.” |
LION Travels around the jungle scaring people, but has “a yellow streak a mile wide.” Coward state stems from deeper mother issues and gets regular counseling from an owl. Joins in the journey to see the wiz to gain some courage. |
THE WIZ All-powerful leader over the land of Oz. Hides his true nature behind the façade of a temperamental leader. His true identity is an enigma. |
AUNT EM(Dorothy's Aunt) Dorothy's Aunt. Life has not been easy for her and promises little else. Harsh towards Dorothy at times, but acts out of love. |
UNCLE HENRY(Dorothy's Uncle) Dorothy's Uncle. Physically run-down from years of hard work on the farm. Often acts as the voice of reason towards Aunt Em. |
ADDAPERLE Good Witch of the North. Has magic powers she refers to as "doing tricks." Her magic abilities don't always pan out as well as she would like them to. |
EVILLENE Wicked Witch of the West. Low-down evil. Not a kind bone in her body nor kind thought in her rotten mind. |
GLINDA Good Witch of the South. Prettiest of all the witches. Very wise in the way of show-business. |
YELLOW BRICK ROAD: 4 Actors, Male or Female, Age Flexible Four dancing actors combine to create the Yellow Brick Road. Metaphorically represents the road Dorothy travels down, encouraging her along the way. |
GATEKEEPER Guards the gate to the Emerald City. |
LORD HIGH UNDERLING Weak coward. Evillene's number one. |
WINGED MONKEY Servant of the Wicked Witch of the West. Summoned to do her bidding. The mere mention of him brings fear. |
TOTO: A Dog |
ENSEMBLE PIT SINGERS, TORNADO, MUNCHKINS, CROWS, KALIDAHS, POPPIES, FIELD MICE, EMERALD CITY CITIZENS, SOLDIER, MESSENGER. |
Videos
In Rehearsal: "The Wiz" at Encores!
Publication
The Wiz is a play written by William F Brown and published by Concord Theatricals (1979).
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