SOUND OFF Special Edition: 10 Oz-Tastic Casting Suggestions For THE WIZ LIVE!

By: Pat Cerasaro May. 13, 2015

In honor of this week's big casting coup coming in the form of the announcement of original Dorothy Stephanie Mills joining the cast of NBC's live musical presentation of THE WIZ later this year, titled THE WIZ LIVE!, today we are posing some carefully chosen casting suggestions that line up with the thoughtful and affectionate selection of Mills as Auntie Em by taking a look at some of the other original leads and stars associated with the property who could be perfect fits for the live telecast as well as some familiar faces who would be ideally cast in the Oz-centric musical spectacular when it arrives live this December. Tony Award-winning Broadway divas to Hollywood superstars and far beyond, this wide-ranging list has more potential than munchkins in Oz!

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1. An unknown Dorothy. Just as Stephanie Mills was a newcomer when she arrived on the scene to portray the most pivotal role in the show when THE WIZ first took Broadway by storm in 1975, giving a fresh-faced star-to-be a showcase such as this is just what the Wizard ordered. And, given that this is a live telecast, the potential excitement generated by a star being born literally before our very eyes is almost too delectable and enticing to resist. Thankfully, that seems to be the plan.
2. Ken Page reprising his role as The Lion. Although many of the original cast members of THE WIZ may have passed on or retired (RIP Tiger Haynes), Page is still as fierce and ferocious as ever and would be ideally cast to reprise his recognizable role which he first played as part of the replacement cast during the original run - and likely glean the same roar of approval that he did more than 40 years ago. If not that, certainly a cameo as the Gatekeeper is in order.

3. Dee Dee Bridgewater as Glinda. The only female Tony Award winner from the original cast, Bridgewater is as dynamite as ever - look no further than her recent turn in LADY DAY Off-Broadway - and could bring further luster to the enterprise with her esteemed participation. Just believe and it will be so. Should the producers prefer to cast the classic stars from the show in cameos ala Mills as Auntie Em, Bridgewater would be an inspired choice as Queen of The Field Mice, as well.
4. Andre De Shields as The Wiz. While Page and Bridgewater are similarly stupendous and showstopping as ever, the force of nature otherwise known as Andre De Shields just seems to somehow get better and better with age - see his spine-tingling turn in BroadwayWorld's 10th Anniversary concert from last year to witness him stop the show cold and out-sing himself with his character's unforgettable spotlight moment, "So You Wanted To See The Wizard?"; plus sing the score's biggest hit "Ease On Down The Road" alongside Page and Bridgewater, too. A tornado of talent that has aged like fine wine.

5. Hinton Battle as The Scarecrow. As accomplished as he is as an actor, choreographer, director and more, Battle is much like his WIZ collaborators in remaining in top form well past middle age as can be seen in his numerous film and television appearances - the classic musical episode of cult TV fav BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and far beyond. And, if star casting wasn't in the cards, he could always appear as Uncle Henry - ditto original Tin Man Ben Harney.
6. Lillias White as Evilene. Many may not be aware that the Tony Award-winning star of THE LIFE, DREAMGIRLS, FELA and many more mainstage musicals got her start on the road as Dorothy in the national tour of THE WIZ. As breathtakingly stupendous as ever, White would be ideally cast as Evilene here, today, singing one of the score's most recognizable roof-raisers, "Don't Bring Me No Bad News". White's casting would be quite the opposite of that - it would be very good news, indeed.

7. Taylor Mac as the Tornado. The outre and OUTRAGEOUS styling of Mac's many dance appearances and solo shows make him a perfect fit to tackle the tricky and impossible-to-predict staging of the tornado sequence in the imaginative musical should it be a solo spotlight moment - and, given the inclusion of Cirque du Soleil in the production team, "The Tornado" could be the biggest visual stunner of them all.
8. Winged monkeys. Utilizing stars from reality competition series SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? could be a masterstroke as could using a few Les 7 Doigts De La Main standouts who recently stopped the show in the most recent Broadway revival of PIPPIN. The possibilities are endless for the choreographic flourishes possible with this uniquely compelling property, though, so we are certainly in able hands with Cirque running the show.
9. Queen Latifah as Addaperle. One of the early earworms in the funk/R&B-powered score, CHICAGO standout Queen Latifah would be a fabulous choice for the sonorous showstopper "He's The Wizard" and to portray THE GOOD WITCH Of The North herself, Addaperle. Plus, Latifah famously previously worked with executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron on CHICAGO and HAIRSPRAY, so it's a proven match made in heaven - or, as the case may be, Oz.

10. Patina Miller as Queen Of The Field Mice. Recent PIPPIN Tony Award winner Patina Miller would be a fab fit for the featured role of the Queen Of The Field Mice, who comes to the aid of Dorothy and crew once they are inundated with poppy dust as part of the fantastical "Lion's Dream" sequence. Magic to do would be done with this superstar in the role.

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