Matthew Diamond News

THE WIZ LIVE's Kenny Leon (Director) and Matthew Diamond (Live Television Direction) were nominated in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: Roundabout's NOISES OFF, starring Megan Hilty and more, opens tonight on Broadway, and a starry cast leads industry readings of DEATH - THE MUSICAL this week!

Lyric Opera of Chicago is excited to announce that Thirteen Productions LLC for WNET New York has selected the world-premiere production of Bel Canto – The Opera to be part of the prestigiousGreat Performances series on PBS. The WNET team will be in Chicago to film performances tonight, January 5, and January 8. Bel Canto will air nationally during the 2016/17 television season. 

Lyric Opera of Chicago is excited to announce that Thirteen Productions LLC for WNET New York has selected the world-premiere production of Bel Canto – The Opera to be part of the prestigiousGreat Performances series on PBS. The WNET team will be in Chicago to film performances January 5 and 8. Bel Canto will air nationally during the 2016/17 television season. 

Sony Music Masterworks and Broadway Records release the original soundtrack of the NBC Television event 'The Wiz LIVE!' via all digital service providers (download and streaming) today, December 11, followed by the CD on December 18.

Now that we are a week removed from last Thursday's THE WIZ LIVE!, NBC's third live musical in as many years, we know that the production has predominantly been hailed as a critical and ratings success, vindicating the audacious experiment after two, less than artistically satisfying, outings. Led by a newcomer plucked from an open call, director Kenny Leon and executive producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan found a star in Shanice Williams and surrounded her with an all-star cast that ranged from serviceable to revelatory. However, as enjoyable as the event was, especially in relationship to past efforts, THE WIZ LIVE! was not a perfect production. There is, after all, a reason why no one did live TV musicals for nearly half a century; they are hard.

Thanks to Tony-winner Kenny Leon and a delightfully entertaining cast of characters, 'Home' is most certainly where the heart is this holiday season. Coming into this year's NBC live musical, theatre lovers nationwide were appropriately apprehensive, given the spotty results from THE SOUND OF MUSIC and PETER PAN. However, in THE WIZ LIVE!, we were finally given a production worthy of the show's beloved Broadway legacy. Executive Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan still haven't solved the riddle of recreating a stage show's scope and grandeur on screen without an audience, but with a once-in-a-lifetime star, and one of the most acclaimed casts in recent memory, for the first time since this annual experiment began in 2013, there's truly a reason to rejoice!

NBCUniversal today announced that Reddi-wip will partner with NBC's live television production of the hit Broadway musical "The Wiz Live," set for December 3rd (8:00PM EST). The partnership is an extension of Reddi-wip's "Share the Joy" program aiming to help people experience more joy every day, and, in this case, the joy of music. The campaign also will feature contextually relevant branded content that reflects that mission, and is also an example of how NBC uses its unique storytelling capabilities to impact communities through the power of entertainment.

Hot Video! Miss the Wednesday night airing of NBC's The Making of THE WIZ LIVE!? We've got you covered with the full video that goes behind the scenes, showing off all of the excitement and hard work going into the December 3rd broadcast that we're all counting down to. 

Sony Music Masterworks and Broadway Records will release the original soundtrack of the NBC Television event THE WIZ LIVE! next month, but you won't have to wait until then to hear Shanice Williams sing the iconic solo 'Home'. Stream it on Spotify now!

NBC's highly anticipated production of 'The Wiz LIVE!' will broadcast December 3, but you don't have to wait that long to feed your excitement.  NBC is celebrating family togetherness surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday by launching a Home-inspired meme. To take part, just follow the instructions below!

Sony Music Masterworks and Broadway Records will release the original soundtrack of the NBC Television event 'The Wiz LIVE!' Available now for preorder at Amazo

Enter your video to win a prize pack from NBC's The Wiz Live! in honor of The Wiz's 40th Anniversary!

Four outstanding works by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, one of the world's leading modern dance companies, will come to the big screen tonight, October 22 at 7:00 pm (local time) as the second installment of Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance.

The man who brought funk and soul to Broadway got his big break on THE MONKEES.

Four outstanding works by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, one of the world's leading modern dance companies, will come to the big screen on Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 pm (local time) as the second installment of Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance.

NBC's THE WIZ LIVE!, its highly anticipated holiday production, will air on Thursday, December 3. Click below for the latest behind-the-scenes look at star Shanice Williams and her journey from Rahway, New Jersey, to her starring role as 'Dorothy' in the iconic musical!

Lincoln Center at the Movies, the new cinema series recently announced by Lincoln Center in partnership with Fathom Events, will open in fall 2015 with Great American Dance presenting performances by four of America's leading companies: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, New York City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet. Each event will be shown in select cinemas nationwide at nearly 400 locations.

NBC's THE WIZ LIVE!, its highly anticipated holiday production, will air on Thursday, December 3 -- and winter can't come soon enough! ACCESS HOLLYWOOD just unveiled a new interview with star Shanice Williams. Click below to hear her talk about 'her first job' playing 'Dorothy' in the iconic musical!

NBC's THE WIZ LIVE! has just released a second promo for the highly anticipated holiday production featuring David Alan Grier.