Video: Amber Ruffin, Wayne Brady, and Brian Moreland Talk Updating THE WIZ, The Musical's Impact, and More!

Members of the cast and creative team of the Broadway-bound touring production of The Wiz chatted with ABC7 in San Francisco about the show, ahead of its run in the city in January.

The musical's lead producer Brian Moreland, Amber Ruffin, who penned additional material, and Wayne Brady, who stars as The Wiz, appeared on ABC7 Localish Bay Area.

"I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, so television was my lifeline to the arts," Ruffin shared. "I remember watching The Wiz on VHS. We would watch The Wiz all of the time and we absolutely adored it."

Moreland also shared about what went into updating the production for modern times.

"When The Wiz came out in 1974, it was already contemporary then," he said. "It was a show created of its actual time. So the challenge now is finding the show that can be created for this time."

Watch the full interview below!

The Wiz comes to the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco from January 16–February 11, 2024.

About The Wiz

For the first time in decades, The Wiz returns home to the American stage with an all-new Broadway-bound adaptation. The Pre-Broadway National Tour launched this past September in Baltimore, where the beloved musical premiered 50 years ago. 

Conjuring up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before, the creative team is helmed by director Schele Williams (The Notebook, revival of Disney’s Aida) and includes choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”), William F. Brown (book), Charlie Smalls (music & lyrics), Amber Ruffin (additional material), Joseph Joubert (music supervision, orchestrations, & music arrangements), Allen René Louis (vocal & music arrangements), Adam Blackstone (dance arrangements), and Paul Byssainthe Jr. (music direction).  They are joined by Academy Award® winner Hannah Beachler (scenic design), two-time Academy Award® nominee Sharen Davis (costumes), Emmy® and Barrymore Award winner Ryan J. O’Gara (lighting), Jon Weston (sound), Daniel Brodie (projections), Drama Desk Award winner Charles G. LaPointe (wigs), and Kirk Cambridge-Del Pesche (makeup).