Wayne Brady to Depart THE WIZ, Alan Mingo Jr. Will Return to the Title Role

Alan Mingo Jr. will return to the title role of ‘The Wiz’ on Broadway beginning Thursday, June 13, 2024. Five-time Emmy winner and Grammy Award nominee Wayne Brady will play his final performance in the role of ‘The Wiz’ on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

Mingo Jr. said, “I’m thrilled to return to playing The Wiz, a role that I loved playing nightly on the National Tour. My mother took me to see this musical when I was a child, and there aren’t many shows you can say that about.”

Mingo Jr. starred in the role of ‘The Wiz’ in the following cities of The Wiz National Tour in 2023-2024, including Baltimore, Cleveland, OH, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, PA, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, IA, Tempe, AZ and San Diego, CA.

Brady began playing ‘The Wiz’ in The Wiz National Tour in San Francisco at the Golden Gate Theatre and Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, before the Broadway production began on March 29, 2024.

Brady added, "The Wiz is more than a Broadway show, it’s a legacy. Growing up, I’ve always loved musicals, but seeing The Wiz was the first time I saw a cast with people who looked like us. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to work on such an exciting revival with this creative team and cast, and I’m grateful to return to the Broadway community.”

This season, The Wiz played to 13 sold-out cities across America on its pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years and played 167 performances to more than 390,000 cheering fans from coast to coast.

This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world. A dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop brings a whole new groove to easing on down the road.

The Broadway cast features Nichelle Lewis as ‘Dorothy,’ Wayne Brady as ‘The Wiz,’ Deborah Cox as ‘Glinda’ and Melody A. Betts as ‘Aunt Em’ and ‘Evillene,’ Kyle Ramar Freeman as ‘Lion,’ Phillip Johnson Richardson as ‘Tinman,’ Avery Wilson as ‘Scarecrow.’ THE WIZ ensemble includes Lauryn Adams, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Nadja Hayes, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Alan Mingo, Jr., Anthony Murphy, Dustin Praylow, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.

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 Emmy Award®-winning music director and Grammy Award®-winning writer, Adam Blackstone (Dance Music Arranger), and Paul Byssainthe Jr. (Music Director), 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 includes 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), projection design by Daniel Brodie (Motown the Musical), wig design by Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musical) and make-up design by Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche (The Piano Lesson).

The production includes ‘Everybody Rejoice’ music and lyrics by Luther Vandross, as well as the ‘Emerald City Ballet’ with music by Timothy Graphenreed.

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.