Deborah Cox and Melody A. Betts Join THE WIZ on Broadway and Tour

Additional casting has been announced for The Wiz, coming to Broadway next year following a national tour. Award-winning recording artist Deborah Cox will take on the role of Glinda with Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, in the all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning hit musical The Wiz, in advance of its highly anticipated national tour this fall  and Broadway return in the Spring of 2024.

The production was also thrilled to welcome Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker as producers of the musical.

The cast will include previously announced Wayne Brady to lead the production as The Wiz on Broadway in Spring of 2024, San Francisco (January 16 – February 11, 2024) at the Golden Gate Theatre, and Los Angeles (February 13 – March 3, 2024) at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Alan Mingo Jr. will star in the role of The Wiz in the following cities of The Wiz National Tour this fall, kicking off with the tour launch in Baltimore, including Cleveland, OH, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, PA, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, IA, Tempe, AZ and San Diego, CA.

The cast will also feature Kyle Ramar Freeman (A Strange Loop) as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson (Sharper, Apple+) as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson (The Voice) as the Scarecrow, respectively. Richardson and Wilson will be making their Broadway debuts. Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

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 Derek Dixie (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 design team will include 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) and wig design by Academy Award-winning Mia Neal (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom). 

The Wiz will launch its national tour in the Fall of 2023 in Baltimore, MD, home of the 1974 world premiere of the musical, September 23-30, 2023. Following its run at the Hippodrome Theatre, the tour will slide into Emerald cities across the country before it begins its limited engagement on Broadway in the Spring 2024.

Tickets are currently available exclusively as part of season subscription packages and group sales in each tour city. Additional information on tour cities, venues, performance schedules and single ticket on sale dates is available at WizMusical.com.  Fans can now sign up for an email newsletter with up-to-date information as well as follow The Wiz on social media channels.

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. 

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Deborah Cox (Glinda) is an award-winning recording artist, Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee, and international talent spanning the worlds of music, Broadway, television, film, and fashion. An established songstress, Cox has scaled the R&B and Pop charts with six top 20 Billboard R&B singles and an impressive thirteen No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play Chart. Her sophomore album spawned 2 No. 1 R&B songs including the record-breaking “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” that spent 14 weeks at the top (the longest in history at the time) and “We Can’t Be Friends.” In addition to her illustrious musical catalog, the Canadian-born star has been recognized for her undying commitment to various social justice initiatives. In 2020, Deborah was honored with Black Music Honors’ Entertainer Icon Award in recognition of her twenty-five groundbreaking years in the music industry. A seasoned entertainer, both on-screen and off, Deborah is currently winning rave reviews for her roles on BET’s First Wives Club and Emmy-nominated HBO MAX series, Station Eleven. In May 2022, Deborah reached a pinnacle career milestone when she made history as the first Black woman inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. In the same year, Deborah was given the Key to the City and had September 23rd declared as Deborah Cox Day. She also received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, rounding off an incredible year. As Deborah continues to perform on stages and screens internationally, she’s also working on her seventh career studio album and just launched her new wine, Kazaisu. For more information on Deborah visit www.deborahcox.com

Melody A. Betts (Aunt Em, Evillene) is a Chicago-based actress, singer/songwriter, writer and director. Last seen as Chantel in the sold out World Premiere of The Factotum at the Lyric Opera of Chicago where she also played Grandma Tzeital/Fruma Sarah in the most recent production of Fiddler on The Roof. Melody grew up singing in the church but spent years in classical voice training. She has refined a voice that possesses versatility and conviction which has the power to stir the soul. You can hear her mellifluous vocals on projects of worldwide favorites such as “Arrested Development,” Joshua Generation, “The Conan O' Brien Show,” “I Can See Your Voice” and the Broadway Inspirational Voices. Chicago credits include Fannie, The Nativity (Goodman Theatre); Ragtime, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Boys from Syracuse, Seussical the Musical, ELF (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Once on this Island, Nunsense, All Shook Up, The Drowsy Chaperone (Marriott Lincolnshire); Comedy of Errors, Pinocchio (Chicago Shakes); Motherhood the Musical (Royal George); The Secret of My Success, Rock of Ages (Paramount Theater). Broadway/Off Broadway: Waitress the Musical (Brooks Atkinson); Invisible Thread (Second Stage). National Tours: The Sound of Music; Waitress. Regional Theater: The Color Purple, A Christmas Carol, Nunsense (Milwaukee Rep); Smokey Joe’s Café, Hairspray (New Theater); Witness Uganda, Extraordinary (A.R.T.). TV: Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE, “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Fire” (NBC), “I Can See Your Voice,” “Chicago Code” (FOX); “Power” (STARZ), “Southside” (HBOMax). IG: @melodybettspage Unions: AEA, SAG-AFTRA, BMI. 

 

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