The Coterie to Present THE WIZ, 11/15-1/5

By popular demand, The Coterie returns to Oz with the Tony Award-winning musical The Wiz, a modern reimaging of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Directed by Jeff Church, The Wiz will be performed live on stage from November 15 - January 5, 2014.

The timeless musical sensation The Wiz is a multi-cultural view of Oz with a soulful twist. It tells a touching story of friendship, family, and the universal power of home, while featuring a slew now-classic pop songs like No Bad News, Brand New Day, Home, and Ease On Down the Road, made famous by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson as the hit single from the film version of The Wiz. The 1975 original Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Based on The Coterie's 2011 acclaimed staging, the 2013 holiday production also features the return of the leading cast as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion ease their way down a fabulous yellow brick road to meet the great and powerful Wiz.

The Coterie's original staging of the show received universal accolades for its eye-popping production of The Wiz. The Kansas City Star praised the show as, "One phenomenal trip... nothing short of fantastic... a production so imaginative that it's in a class by itself... it assembles the biggest group of local African-American actors on a local stage that anyone can remember and showcases superb performances..." The Pitch hailed the show as, "One of the most gifted casts of the year... there isn't a single weak spot... This Wiz transports us to a wonderland and then gently returns us home." KCMetropolis.org agreed, saying "The cast was loaded with triple threats... Each of the main characters was stellar... The Wiz brought back a lot of great childhood memories for me. There isn't a bad song in the entire show and this performance was packed with talent and imagination. Kudos to the Coterie."

Produced as part of The Coterie's 2013 Shines series, The Wiz will be appreciated by all ages. The running time is approximately 75 minutes with no intermission. The production is funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council, ArtsKC Fund, Theater League, and the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund.

The Coterie, now in its 35th Season and named "One of the Five Best Theaters for Young Audiences in the U.S." by TIME magazine, will perform The Wiz November 12, 2013 - January 5, 2014, in The Coterie Theatre, located on level one of Crown Center Shops in Kansas City, MO. Press Night will be held on Friday, November 15, 2013, at 7:00 p.m.

Individual Tickets: Tickets are $12.00 for youth under 18, students, and seniors age 60 and older, and $17.00 for adults.

Group Pricing: Groups of 20 or more pay only $6.00 per person on weekdays and $7.00 per person on weekends (Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays).

Photo by J. Robert Schraeder

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