The Original Broadway Commercial for The Wiz

[justincharacter]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 12:24pm

It is so great to see footage from the original cast! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIM2uYDiHEY

[musicaltheatreman2]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 12:37pm

OMG THANK YOU for posting that!!!! I have been looking for the commercial on YouTube for awhile, but it was taken down. I am glad to see it was reposted! 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 12:39pm

To me, the most interesting thing about that video is that Serino/Coyne posted it yesterday.

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 12:51pm

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but was that Deborah Burrell as "Glinda" in that commercial? She played "Michelle Morris" in the original cast of "Dreamgirls". 

[Broadway kid 2]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 1:20pm

Theater_Nerd said: "Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but was that Deborah Burrell as "Glinda" in that commercial? She played "Michelle Morris" in the original cast of "Dreamgirls". 

 

"

 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 1:24pm

A lot of people didn't realize they gave away a live Toto at the end of each performance.

[morosco]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 6:58pm

Toto jumping off of the stage into an audience member's lap is a little over the top.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 7:04pm

Brings back memories of what Broadway used to be.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 7:05pm

Yes, that's Deborah Burrell as Glinda. This commercial is from later in the run when the show moved from the Majestic to the Broadway Theatre. Stephanie Mills was Dorothy for 4 years of the 5-year run, I believe. Many others in that commercial (if not all, besides Stephanie) are replacements.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 7:10pm

Was that Nancy, the original Toto?

Posted: 12/5/15 at 7:17pm

It bothers me when people say "live on stage." Like yes it was a musical first hello!

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 9:43pm

How did they get the dog to jump like that?

[EthelMae]

Posted: 12/5/15 at 11:30pm

Thank you, justin, for posting this video! I never saw it-only ever saw Ease on Down the Road one. Very cool!

Your video led me to a youtube video footage of Stephanie Mills singing Home at a performance. Sorry folks, I enjoyed The Wiz Live the other night on TV but nothing compares to Ms. Mills singing this song! Audiences went wild for her_which you can see in this clip-they break out into applause twice before the song has ended. You don't see that often on Broadway.

Also cool to see the curtain calls.

What I can't figure out is how this footage exists.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/6/15 at 6:46am

Stephanie definitely had that "And I'm Telling You" kind of moment in show with "Home."

 

It's pretty mind-blowing that she wasn't even nominated for a Tony.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/6/15 at 8:34am

 

How did they get the dog to jump like that?

 

Bill Berloni!

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/6/15 at 9:46am

William Berloni began his animal training career with the original 1976 pre-Broadway incarnation (then eventual 1977 Broadway production) of ANNIE.  THE WIZ arrived on Broadway in 1975.  Big possibility he could have been brought in to teach the show's Toto to do that stunt for the later-in-the-run TV spot as THE WIZ closed on Broadway in 1979.

 

WILLIAM BERLONI: When I was 19 years old I was asked to find and train a dog for this new musical that was premiering up in CT and it was the original production of Annie. I found Sandy at the CT Humane Society for $7 and a year later the show opened on Broadway and at the age of 20 I became a famous animal trainer. So, I just believed in the karma of rescuing animals so 25 Broadway shows later and 40 years later still rescuing dogs and enjoying a great life with them.

 

 

[AlfieByrne]

Posted: 12/7/15 at 12:25pm

best12bars said: "

It's pretty mind-blowing that she wasn't even nominated for a Tony.

"

 

It appears that Clive Barnes wrote a tepid review regarding Mills' performance. I wonder what the general public's opinion was.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/theater/82169467.pdf

 

[morosco]

Posted: 12/7/15 at 1:01pm

Did Bill Berloni really come in to train the dog for the commercial shoot?  Or was there simply someone off camera tossing the dog into the audience members lap?

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 12/7/15 at 1:07pm

Loved the winking eyes on the costume. That must be why men stare at boobs...they are trying to BE respectful by making eye contact!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/7/15 at 2:43pm

And then the commercial for the revival less than ten years later that apparently nobody wanted (with a pretty terrifying Tin Man--)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyjiwDq9Wfg

 

And apparently the cast couldn't wait for the show to be over either judging by how quick the tempo is for Brand New Day in this performance...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJDkQEcu3MQ

Updated On: 12/7/15 at 02:43 PM