Kenny Leon & Craig Zadan Comment From THE WIZ LIVE! Auditions: 'We're Doing The Stage Version, Not The Movie!'

By: Jun. 06, 2015
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The men behind the magic audition Dorothys!

Earlier this week we were shown a preliminary sneak peek of the first official production meetings for the new NBC live presentation of classic Tony Award-winning funk/R&B musical THE WIZ, titled THE WIZ LIVE!, and now fresh new updates from the Dorothy auditions are available to view.

Director Kenny Leon shared of the Dorothy rehearsals, "It's been an inspiring day already @neilmeron @craigzadan @nbc at The Wiz Live open call for Dorothy! Thank you actresses for turning out!"

Following that, producer Craig Zadan commented, as well, offering, "Clarification: #TheWizLive casting. We're doing the stage version-- not the movie version. So Dorothy needs to look like she's 18 years old."

Earlier this week, Kenny Leon shared a shot of himself alongside executive producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who also produced THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! and PETER PAN LIVE! for NBC, commenting, "The Wiz Live team meeting in NY! Here we go..Dec 3rd NBC!@neilmeron @craigzadan".

Follow Kenny Leon on Twitter here and Craig Zadan here.

The official description of THE WIZ LIVE! is as follows: "NBC embarks on its latest musical holiday tradition with a live television production of the groundbreaking Broadway show that brought the vivid world of Oz to the streets of New York in a fresh, funky sing-along journey down the yellow brick road. Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the original show was a massive hit on Broadway and even spawned a feature film starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Now, a Tony-winning creative team, the hugely imaginative Cirque du Soleil Theatrical, and a diverse cast of showstopping performers will come together to create an eye-popping new take unlike anything seen before. From Executive Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron comes an awe-inspiring adventure overflowing with stunning spectacle and toe-tapping music."

THE WIZ LIVE! airs on December 3 at 8 PM on NBC.

More information on THE WIZ LIVE! is available at the official site here.

View the new photo of Kenny Leon and company preparing THE WIZ LIVE! below.

Photo Credit: Twitter



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