THE WIZ to Play Pittsburgh's Benedum Center Beginning This Month

Producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Kandi Burruss, Todd Tucker, Common, MC Lyte and The Ambassador Theatre Group are thrilled to announce the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania engagement of The Wiz will be on stage for eight performances at the Benedum Center from October 31 to November 5, 2023.  The Wiz at the Benedum Center is presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, part of the 2023-2024 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series.  The Benedum Center, 237 7th Street, Pittsburgh, PA is a venue and project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. 

For information, visit Pittsburgh Cultural Trust official ticket sources at the link below, by calling 412-456-4800, or in person at the Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.  Orders for groups of 10+ tickets or more may be placed by calling 412-471-6930, email groupsales@trustarts.org, or submit a group ticket reservation online at TrustArts.org/groupsales.  For information on accessibility services, please call 412-456-6666 or visit TrustArts.org/accessibility.  Captioned performances are available at select shows, for PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh, the last Sunday matinee of each Broadway show. 

Everybody look around! The Tony Award-winning Best Musical that took the world by storm is back.

The Wiz returns “home” to stages across America in an all-new Broadway-bound tour, the first one in 40 years. The tour began in September (23-30), 2023 in The Wiz's original home city of Baltimore, where the show made its world premiere 50 years ago. Following its run in Baltimore, the tour will slide into Emerald cities across the country before it begins its limited engagement on Broadway in the Spring 2024.

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.

The extraordinary cast features Alan Mingo Jr (Kinky Boots) as The Wiz, award-winning recording artist Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody Betts (The Factotum, Lyric Opera Of Chicago) as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman (A Strange Loop) as Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson ("Sharper," A24) as Tinman, and recording artist Avery Wilson ("On Top Of The World) as Scarecrow. Nichelle Lewis (Hairspray, National Tour) makes a star turn Broadway debut as Dorothy.

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), 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 also includes the hit songs “Everybody Rejoice,” music and lyrics by Luther Vandross, as well as the “Emerald City Ballet” with music by Timothy Graphenreed.

Oz is reimagined with 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), and wig design by Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musical).

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.

Casting by: Tara Rubin Casting. 

For more information and complete tour route visit: WizMusical.com.

Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of the John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office and Broadway Brands.  Led by 20-time Tony-winning theater producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 48 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Presentations include Disney's The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and Hamilton. Current productions include &Juliet, Hadestown, Hamilton, Kimberly Akimbo, MJ: The Musical and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

The John Gore Organization is the leading presenter, distributor, and marketer of Broadway theater worldwide. Under the leadership of 20-time Tony-winning theater producer and owner John Gore, its family of companies includes Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office and Broadway Brands. The company presents shows in 48 cities across North America as well as on Broadway, Off-Broadway, London's West End, Japan, and China. It has won Tony Awards in every producing category as well as numerous other Drama League, Drama Desk and Olivier Awards.  The John Gore Organization is committed to supporting theater access and education programs that introduce Broadway to the next generation of audiences and theater professionals.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh's most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners.  Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District.  The District is one of the country's largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization.  A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation, and creativity.  Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy, and enhancing Pittsburgh's quality of life.  Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies, and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.

The PNC Foundation joins the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in bringing the best of Broadway to entertain, enlighten, and complement the rich experiences that add to the region's exceptional quality of life. The seven season presentations and two season specials in the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series contribute to the city's reputation as a major destination for the arts, culture, and world-class entertainment

Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel

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