The Wiz
Majestic Theatre
Previews Began: December 24, 1974 | Opening Night: January 5, 1975 | Closing Night: May 25, 1977
Broadway Theatre
Previews Began: -
Opening Night: May 25, 1977
Closing Night: January 28, 1979
Music: Charlie Smalls
Lyrics: Charlie Smalls
Book: William F. Brown
Kansas farm girl Dorothy is transported in a tornado to the magical land of Oz in this musical retelling of The Wizard of Oz that features an all-black cast, a score by Charlie Smalls and a book with an updated urban sensibility by William F. Brown.
MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT ONE
The Feeling We Once Had……………………….Aunt Em
Tornado Ballet……………………………………Company
He’s the Wizard…………………..Addaperle, Munchkins
Soon As I Get Home……………………………….Dorothy
I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday…….Scarecrow,
Crows
Ease on Down the Road…………….Dorothy, Scarecrow,
Yellow Brick Road
Slide Some Oil to Me……..Tinman, Dorothy, Scarecrow
Mean Ole Lion………………………………………….Lion
Kalidah Battle………Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion,
Kalidahs, Yellow Brick Road
Be a Lion…………………………………….Dorothy, Lion
Lion’s Dream………………………………..Lion, Poppies
Emerald City Ballet (Psst)………….Dorothy, Scarecrow,
Tinman, Lion, Company
So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard?……………The Wiz
To Be Able to Feel (What Would I Do If I Could
Feel)…………………………………………………Tinman
ACT TWO
No Bad News……………………………………….Evillene
Funky Monkeys…………………………………..Monkeys
Everybody Rejoice………..Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman,
Lion, Winkies
Who Do You Think You Are?……….Dorothy, Scarecrow,
Tinman, Lion
Believe in Yourself………………………………….Glinda
Y’all Got It………………………………………….The Wiz
A Rested Body Is a Rested Mind…………………..Glinda
Believe in Yourself (Reprise)……………………….Glinda
Home……………………………………………….Dorothy
CAST
OPENING NIGHT
Hinton Battle Scarecrow
Tiger Haynes Tinman
Stephanie Mills Dorothy
Ted Ross Lion
Dee Dee Bridgewater Glinda
André De Shields The Wiz
Mabel King Evillene
Clarice Taylor Addaperle
Tasha Thomas Aunt Em
Phylicia Ayers-Allen Munchkin
Field Mouse
Lettie Battle Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
Danny Beard Royal Gatekeeper
Phillip Bond Kalidah
Emerald City Citizen
Leslie Butler Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
Pi Douglass Munchkin
Kalidah
Field Mouse
Ronald Dunham Yellow Brick Road
Emerald City Citizen
Wendy Edmead Crow
Emerald City Citizen
Frank Floyd Pit Singer
Rodney Green Kalidah
Emerald City Citizen
Sam Harkness Pit Singer
Eugene Little Yellow Brick Road
Emerald City Citizen
Eleanor McCoy Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
Frances Morgan Crow
Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
Joni Palmer Munchkin
Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
John Parks Yellow Brick Road
Emerald City Citizen
Howard Porter Munchkin
Jozella Reed Pit Singer
Kenneth Scott Yellow Brick Road
Emerald City Citizen
Evelyn Thomas Tornado
Kalidah
Emerald City Citizen
Tasha Thomas Pit Singer
Andy Torres Winged Monkey
Munchkin
Kalidah
Emerald City Citizen
Carl Weaver Soldier Messenger
Munchkin
Field Mouse
Ralph Wilcox Uncle Henry
Lord High Underling
Field Mouse
Crow
Swings: Cynthia Ashby, Otis Sallid
Standby: Butterfly McQueen (Addaperle), Arnetia Walker (Dorothy)
Dogs: Nancy (Toto)
REPLACEMENTS
Thea Barnes Poppy
Gregg Burge Scarecrow
Kalidah
Edye Byrde Evillene
Albert Fann Crow
Field Mouse
Lord High Underling
Uncle Henry
Keith Harris Kalidah
Winged Monkey
Theresa Merritt Evillene
Jozella Reed Addaperle
Irene Reid Evillene
Siri Sat Nam SIngh Singer
Toney Watkins Uncle Henry
Lord High Underling
James Wigfall Lion
Charles Lavont Williams Scarecrow
Soldier Messenger
Phylicia Ayers-Allen
Emerald City Citizen
Ruth Brisbane
Evillene
Gregg Burge
Broadway debut
Scarecrow
Deborah Burrell
Broadway debut
Glinda
Leslie Butler
Munchkin
Wendy Edmead
Tornado
Pat Estwick
Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
L. Michael Gray
Lion
Feb 07, 1978 – ?
Rodney Green
Yellow Brick Road
DeMarest Grey
Pit Singer
Carl Hall
The Wiz
Jul 17, 1977 – ?
Sam Harkness
Field Mouse
Ben Harney
Tinman
Dyane Harvey
Munchkin
Lois Hayes
Munchkin
Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
Paul Hoskins
Yellow Brick Road
Emerald City Citizen
Kevin Jeff
Emerald City Citizen
Winged Monkey
Kwame Johnson
Kalidah
Emerald City Citizen
Munchkin
Michael Leslie
Lion
May 1978 – Jan 28, 1979
Uncle Henry
Lord High Underling
Claudia Lewis
Kalidah
Esther Marrow
Aunt Em
Pit Singer
Alvin McDuffie
Yellow Brick Road
Emerald City Citizen
Kalidah
Theresa Merritt
Evillene
Ella Mitchell
Evillene
Ken Page
Lion
John Parks
Kalidah
Howard Porter
Field Mouse
Royal Gatekeeper
Alma Robinson
Kalidah
Emerald City Citizen
Renee Rose
Crow
Poppy
Emerald City Citizen
Janyse M. Singleton
Pit Singer
Alwin Taylor
Kalidah
Bruce Taylor
Kalidah
Emerald City Citizen
Chuck Thorpe
Yellow Brick Road
Toto
Toto
Gayle Turner
Kalidah
Carl Weaver
Kalidah
Alan Weeks
The Wiz
Westy
Toto
James Wigfall
Lion
Oct 31, 1977 – ?
Allison Williams
Tornado
Victor Willis
Uncle Henry
Royal Gatekeeper
Lord High Underling
Standby: Renée Harris (Dorothy)
Swings: DeMarest Grey, Carl Hardy, Dyane Harvey, Christina Kimball, Al Peryman
