{"id":73505,"date":"2015-10-14T07:36:31","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T07:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2015\/10\/14\/first-look-pics-at-nbcs-the-wiz-live\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T03:38:10","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T03:38:10","slug":"first-look-pics-at-nbcs-the-wiz-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/first-look-pics-at-nbcs-the-wiz-live\/","title":{"rendered":"First Look Pics At NBC’s The Wiz Live!"},"content":{"rendered":"

First Look Pics At NBC’s The Wiz Live!<\/strong>Posted by Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

October 14, 2015<\/p>\n

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NBC has released, through People Magazine, the first look photos of their anticipated holiday production of The Wiz Live<\/strong>., which airs on Dec. 3.<\/p>\n

The production will star Shanice Williams<\/strong>, an 18-year-old newcomer from New Jersey, as Dorothy while David Alan Grier<\/strong> will play the Cowardly Lion.\u00a0Ne-Yo<\/strong> will play the Tin Man, who was once a flesh-and-blood woodsman but a spell put on him by the Wicked Witch causes him to lose his limbs and heart. He learns that he\u2019s never lost the ability to feel.\u00a0Elijah Kelley<\/strong> will play the Scarecrow, the first of the three friends to meet Dorothy and who has always dreamed of having brains, but never realizing that he\u2019s the smartest of them all.<\/p>\n

\"THE<\/a>
THE WIZ LIVE! — Season: 2015 — Pictured: Shanice Williams as Dorothy — (Photo by: Paul Gilmore\/NBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The musical also features Queen Latifah<\/strong> stars as the Wiz; Mary J. Blig<\/strong>e will play Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West; Stephanie Mills (who played Dorothy in the original Broadway production of \u201cThe Wiz\u201d) as Auntie Em. Common<\/strong> will play the Bouncer, the gatekeeper of the entrance to Emerald City who is out to get what he can from Dorothy and her three friends.\u00a0Orange is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba<\/strong> will be playing Glinda, the Good Witch of the South\u00a0and Glee’s Amber Riley<\/strong>\u00a0will be Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"THE<\/a>
THE WIZ LIVE! — Season: 2015 — Pictured: Ne-Yo as Tinman — (Photo by: Paul Gilmore\/NBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The musical, according to NBC, is described as such: “Dorothy, a young woman from Kansas, is swept up in a tornado and relocated to a fantasy world that is inhabited by munchkins, good and bad witches, and, of course, flying monkeys. She eventually takes a path down a yellow brick road to find a wizard who can help her go home and along the way meets a scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion, who all learn to help one another.”
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\u201cThe Wiz Live!\u201d is adapted from \u201cThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz\u201d by L. Frank Baum<\/strong>, with a book by William F. Brown<\/strong>, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls<\/strong>. The production opened on Broadway in 1975 at the Majestic Theatre and won seven Tonys, including Best Musical.<\/p>\n

\"THE<\/a>
THE WIZ LIVE! — Season: 2015 — Pictured: David Alan Grier as Lion — (Photo by: Paul Gilmore\/NBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron <\/strong>(\u201cThe Sound of Music Live!,\u201d \u201cPeter Pan Live!,\u201d Oscar-winning \u201cChicago\u201d) will executive produce. Kenny Leon<\/strong> (Tony winner, \u201cA Raisin in the Sun\u201d) is stage director and Matthew Diamond<\/strong> is TV director, with Harvey Fierstein (three-time Tony winner, \u201cTorch Song Trilogy,\u201d \u201cHairspray\u201d and \u201cLa Cage aux Folles\u201d) providing new written material.<\/p>\n

Esteemed choreographer Fatima Robinson<\/strong> (\u201cDreamgirls,\u201d \u201cAli\u201d) is also on board, along with music producer Harvey Mason Jr.<\/strong> (\u201cDreamgirls, \u201cPitch Perfect 2\u201d) and Stephen Oremus<\/strong> (\u201cThe Book of Mormon,\u201d \u201cKinky Boots\u201d) as music director, orchestrator and co-producer of the music.<\/p>\n

The Wiz LIVE! airs on Thursday, December 3 at 8\/9c on NBC.<\/p>\n

Preview<\/strong><\/p>\n