Photo Flash: La Jolla's The Wiz in Previews

Based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, with a book by William F. Brown, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, Des McAnuff's Wiz is a major re-envisioning for the 21st century. "When The Wizard of Oz met the urban beat of the 1970s, history was made to the tune of seven Tony Awards. Now the young Dorothy travels to the strange and spectacular Land of Oz once again as McAnuff teams up with original Wiz orchestrator Harold Wheeler to create a re-imagined, multi-cultural musical phenomenon for a new century," state press notes.

The production stars David Alan Grier ("In Living Color," ...Forum) as The Wiz, Nikki M. James (All Shook Up, Bernarda Alba) as Dorothy, Titus Burgess (Jersey Boys) as Lion, Rashad Naylor (Hairspray) as Scarecrow, Michael Benjamin Washington (Mamma Mia!, La Cage aux Follies) as Tinman, five-time Jefferson Award-winner E. Faye Butler (Dinah Was) as Evillene, Heather Lee (Gypsy) as Addaperle, Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures) as Uncle Henry, and Valarie Pettiford (Fosse, West Side Story tour) as Aunt Em. Dancer Albert Blaise Cattafi embodies mischievous canine Toto.

For tickets and more information, visit www.lajollaplayhouse.com.