Wayne Brady and Alan Mingo Jr. Will Lead THE WIZ on Broadway and Tour

Emmy winner and Grammy Award nominee Wayne Brady (Hamilton, Whose Line Is it Anyway?) and Alan Mingo Jr. (Kinky Boots, Doom Patrol) will lead the production as The Wiz in the all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning hit musical The Wiz.

The production will also welcome Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker as producers of the musical.

Brady will star as The Wiz on Broadway in Spring of 2024, San Francisco (January 16 – February 11, 2024) at the Golden Gate Theatre, and Los Angeles (February 13 – March 3, 2024) at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Mingo Jr. will star in the role of The Wiz in the following cities of The Wiz National Tour this fall, kicking off with the tour launch in Baltimore, including Cleveland, OH, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, PA, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, IA, Tempe, AZ and San Diego, CA.

The cast will also include previously announced Kyle Ramar Freeman (A Strange Loop) as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson (Sharper, Apple+) as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson (The Voice) as the Scarecrow, respectively. Richardson and Wilson will be making their Broadway debuts. Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others), director Schele Williams (The Notebook, revival of Disney’s Aida), award-winning choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Black is King), additional material by Tony-nominated and Emmy-nominated writer and TV host Amber Ruffin (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers”), Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), Allen René Louis (vocal arrangements, music arrangements), and Derek Dixie (dance music arranger) are conjuring up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before.  A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop will bring a whole new groove to easing on down the road. 

The Wiz design team will include scenic design by Academy Award-winning Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Lemonade), costume design by Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award-winning Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man), sound design by Jon Weston (Parade) and wig design by Academy Award-winning Mia Neal (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom). 

The Wiz will launch its national tour in the Fall of 2023 in Baltimore, MD, home of the 1974 world premiere of the musical, September 23-30, 2023. Following its run at the Hippodrome Theatre, the tour will slide into Emerald cities across the country before it begins its limited engagement on Broadway in the Spring 2024.

Tickets are currently available exclusively as part of season subscription packages and group sales in each tour city. Additional information on tour cities, venues, performance schedules and single ticket on sale dates is available at WizMusical.com.  Fans can now sign up for an email newsletter with up-to-date information as well as follow The Wiz on social media channels.

Based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, The Wiz takes one of the world’s most enduring (and enduringly white) American fantasies, and transforms it into an all-Black musical extravaganza for the ages.

The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation, going on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ted Ross), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Dee Dee Bridgewater), Best Choreography (George Faison), and in a Broadway first, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder). “Ease on Down the Road” became the show’s break-out single, and “Home” has since become a bona fide classic. That original production ran for four years (first at The Majestic Theatre and later at The Broadway Theatre) – and 1,672 performances – on Broadway. A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and marked Quincy Jones’ first collaboration with Michael Jackson.

Biographies

Wayne Brady (The Wiz) multiple Emmy Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated Wayne Brady has made his mark on stage and screen as an actor, producer, singer, dancer, songwriter, and television personality. A true multi-hyphenate, Brady’s career path and personal life journey have helped him see the world in a unique way. His aspirations have always gone beyond solely starring in various entertainment projects, and under his Makin’ It Up Productions banner, he’s set out to create new content across different platforms that showcase innovation and inclusivity in fun and powerful ways.

A five-time Emmy winner (the first to win Daytime and Primetime awards in two consecutive years), Brady has an impressive TV resume including Whose Line Is It Anyway? The Masked Singer, Dancing With The Stars, Black Lighting, The Good Fight, and Showtime’s American Gigolo– each spotlighting different aspects of his immense talent. In addition to being a force in front of the camera, Brady is heavily active behind the scenes wearing the hats of host & executive producer for Let’s Make A Deal, Game of Talents, and Comedy IQ, which he also co-created.

All of this follows on the heels of the success of his award-winning daytime talk show The Wayne Brady Show. Long an accomplished singer and performer, Brady’s musical acumen has always been a personal passion and he used that as fuel to help win the second season of The Masked Singer. Off his victory, Brady dropped a brand-new original single, entitled “Flirtin’ w/ Forever,” which quickly climbed the streaming charts, as well as an accompanying music video. This follows the success of his debut album which was headlined by a version of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" which earned him a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category. Brady has also triumphed on-stage starting with his Broadway debut starring as legal showman ‘Billy Flynn’ in the long-running hit musical, “Chicago.” Soon after Brady starred as the ground-breaking character ‘Lola’ in “Kinky Boots,” Broadway’s Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein. Brady would later assume his biggest theatrical role to date headlining as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the Chicago production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning juggernaut “Hamilton.” Recently Brady returned to Broadway as part of Freestyle Love Supreme working with the production team of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, and Anthony Veneziale. The unique show combines the fusion of hip-hop, improv, and comedy which won it a special Tony Award for its innovation and contributions to the world of theater.

Earlier this year, Brady announced he will again partner with the Freestyle Love Supreme team as well as Speechless to create “FLS+,” a new company committed to making improv globally accessible. Brady’s career evolution has also expanded to TikTok, amassing a stellar following in a short period of time. Whether utilizing social media to raise awareness of important social issues or collaborating with his extended family, the medium has helped him continue to reach and interact with new fans in surprising and innovative ways.

Alan Mingo Jr. (The Wiz) best known for his Award winning performance as “Lola” in the Canadian and Broadway productions of Kinky Boots (Dora Award Winner, Best Leading Actor). Audiences may know Alan as “Maura Lee Karupt” in DC’s Doom Patrol on (MAX). He is currently starring in a newly released film as Maxi in “I’m Not Gay A Musical” available on all major Streaming platforms. Mr. Mingo’s other Broadway credits include: “Sebastian” in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and “Tom Collins” in Rent. Alan’s Broadway National Tour credits include: “Donkey” in Shrek the Musical, “Seaweed” in Hairspray, and “Simba” in Disney’s The Lion King. His other TV credits are: ”Honey” in The Deuce (MAX), “The Queen” in Tales of the City (Netflix), “Benjamin Carter Judges” in Ray Donovan (Showtime), Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix), Frasier (NBC) and Law & Order (NBC). Regional credits: Zaza/Albin in La Cage Aux Folles and The Wiz in The Wiz (Sacramento Music Circus), “Sergeant” in Pirates! or Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder’s (The MUNY), “Papa Ge” in Once On This Island (Paper Mill Playhouse), A Christmas Story: the Musical (Kansas City Repertory Theatre) and The Wiz (La Jolla Playhouse). Proud Alumni of University of Maryland, B.A. and UC, Irvine, M.F.A. IG: @AlanMingoj