Feature: Musical Histories of THE WIZ LIVE!'s Witches, Uzo Aduba, Amber Riley, Mary J. Blige
By: Matt Tamanini Dec. 01, 2015
NBC's upcoming holiday production of THE WIZ LIVE! will air Thursday, Dec. 3. The production will star newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy alongside Grammy and Golden Globe-winner Queen Latifah as the Wizard, nine-time Grammy-winner Mary J. Blige as Evillene, original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, as Auntie Em and David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion. For More Information, Click Here.
In anticipation of this star-studded event, throughout the week, we are going to be looking at the impressive musical careers (and when possible, musical theatre careers) of THE WIZ LIVE! stars. Today, we are hopping on our brooms and checking out some of the best moments in the singing careers of Oz's newest witches, whether they are wicked or good. First, we will look at some clips from "Crazy" talented Broadway baby Uzo Aduba, who will play Glinda. Then, we will look at the career of GLEE-ful dancing champ Amber Riley, who plays Addaperle, and finally we will close out our list with Evillene, played by the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige.
Uzo Aduba
Fresh off earning rave reviews in the Broadway productions of CORAM BOY and GODSPELL, and the Public's VENICE, Uzo Aduba was cast as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in Netflix's prison dramedy, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. For the show's first two seasons, Aduba earned a pair of Emmy Awards, the first for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, and then for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Aduba has an incredibly diverse musical resume. In addition to the videos below, you should also check out a short clip of her "By My Side" from GODSPELL and dueting with Taylor Swift on the song "White Horse."
Uzo singing a funkified version of "Simple Joys" from PIPPIN
At this year's MCC Miscast Gala, Uzo sang the Sweeney part of "A Little Priest" to Ben Platt's Mrs. Lovett
At the gala in 2014, she also dueted with Rachel Bay Jones on a heart-breaking rendition of "Lily's Eyes" from THE SECRET GARDEN
At the behest of follow Broadway alum Raven-Symoné, Uzo showed off her more legit range on THE VIEW
Amber Riley
In 2009, Fox's quirky musical dramedy GLEE took the country by storm, turning its cast of fresh-faced stars into household names. Though she didn't have the Broadway resume of Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, or even Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley's killer pipes endeared her to fans almost immediately.
Since she burst onto the scene, Amber has taken part in a number of interesting projects, from short runs in musicals to taking home the mirror ball trophy on DANCING WITH THE STARS. I would imagine that it's only a matter of time before she marks her mark on the Great White Way as well.
At the height of the GLEE phenomenon, the cast was invited to perform a concert on the lawn of the White House, where Amber sang the song "Home" from THE WIZ
Last summer, Amber was part of the all-star Hollywood Bowl cast of HAIR. Here she is opening "Aquarius"
In 2012, Amber was part of the cast of New York City Encores' THE COTTON CLUB PARADE, which became the Tony-winning revue AFTER MIDNIGHT. Amber didn't move to Broadway with the production, but you can see her in this highlights package. Her short section begins at 2:32.
To try and pick out even a small handful of Amber's musical numbers from GLEE would be a chore, so here is a fan's supercut of some of her best performances from the show
Mary J. Blige
In the music industry, there are stars and there is royalty, and without a doubt, Mary J. Blige is music royalty. She has a record 30 Grammy nominations, including nine wins. She has had nine albums certified as Platinum, and four more certified Gold, racking up over 50 million albums sold along the way. She has also collaborated with artists as diverse as Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Patti LaBelle, Maroon 5, Sinéad O'Connor, and Andrea Bocelli.
Known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Blige has been dabbling on screen for over 20 years. While early on she stuck guest apperances on TV shows or small roles in films, in recent years she has taken on bigger acting projects. In 2012, she played Justice Charlier in the big-screen adaptation of ROCK OF AGES, she then starred as Malcolm X's wife Dr. Betty Shabazz opposite Angela Bassett in the Lifetime movie BETTY AND CORETTA. She also appeared in the holiday musical BLACK NATIVITY and in a first season episode of EMPIRE.
Mary J. shows Julianne Hough the ropes in "Anyway You Want It" from ROCK OF AGES film
The official music video of her Billboard No. 1 Hit "Family Affair"
The audio for "Rise Up Shepherd and Follow" from BLACK NATIVITY featuring Nas
Which witch's performance are you most excited to see on THE WIZ LIVE! this Thursday? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.
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