Interview: Cal Mitchell of THE WIZ at Segerstrom Center For The Arts

Cal Mitchell may be playing the Cowardly Lion in the current national tour of THE WIZ—but he’s not scared. 

The Nashville, Tennessee native started the Wiz tour exactly a year ago as an ensemble member—but within a few months was asked to step up to play Oz’s most lovable lion. 

And he hasn’t looked back. 

The Wiz is now playing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts through January 25. BroadwayWorld caught up with Mitchell to talk about his journey, onstage mishaps, and what it means to carry the iconic role of the Lion forward.

Hi Cal! So great to talk with you! Give me your best one- or two-line summary of who you are and how you got here.

I’m from Nashville, Tennessee, and I got into musical theater in high school, and I’ve kept up with it until now.

This is your Broadway tour debut, right?

Yes, it is.

You started in the ensemble and later stepped into the Cowardly Lion role. Is that right?

Yes, it is. I started in the ensemble when we began rehearsals, and I did my ensemble track for the first two months of our run. That was earlier last year — probably late February or March. I started off in the ensemble, and then the part became vacant. I put my name in to be considered for it, and they allowed me, and I’ve been doing it now for a year. Yesterday marked a full year since our rehearsal process began.

What was it like when you found out you got the role?

It was crazy. Mind-boggling is how I put it. We were in Las Vegas, and I was on the phone with my agent just checking in, asking if there were any updates or anything more I could do. Twenty minutes later, I was running to grab lunch before heading to the theater, and he called me back and said, “We just got your contract — they want to offer you the full-time Lion.” I literally yelled in the hotel.

Amazing—and congratulations! What was the biggest challenge moving from the ensemble into a lead role?

The most difficult part was adapting my body and mind to telling the Lion’s story instead of my ensemble track story. I was playing a Lord High Underling, which is Evillene’s right-hand assistant. Preparing myself physically and mentally to play Lion was a curve, especially since it happened early in our run.  

There was also a mental aspect. I thought about every actor who has played the Cowardly Lion — Ted Ross, David Alan Grier, Kyle Freeman, Michael Gilgore — and understood the legacy of the role. For this to be my first tour and one of the biggest bookings I’ve ever had, I took it humbly and wanted to give as much as my predecessors did.

How does this Cowardly Lion differ from previous versions?

At the core, Lion is still this fun-loving, expressive soul. That hasn’t changed. What has shifted is the modernization of the score, which has allowed me to sink into the music more deeply. You hear gospel, jazz, blues, R&B — Isaac Hayes, The Temptations — all of these influences. Music is a huge way I get into character.

Amber Ruffin’s script also allows Lion to be crazy, wacky, and lovable — like a teddy bear. I wanted him to feel familiar, like your favorite cousin you see at every holiday, with the expressiveness of Keke Palmer — someone who feels like the life of the party.

How has the music changed from earlier versions of The WIz?

Not much has changed song-wise, but they really dug into the details to make the story feel more timeless. Songs like “You Can’t Win” or Dorothy’s opening number have been spruced up so they live on beyond this tour.

What was your first experience with The Wiz?

I watched it when I was much younger with my mom. There were parts of that movie that kind of sat with me, like, this could be a horror movie—the whole subway station thing. But outside of that, I think it was also pivotal because I didn't really understand what musical theater was and what the real impact of this movie was. When I got older, I realized how impactful it was. It was an entire cast of black people dancing their faces off and showing that, first of all, at the time, representation matters.  

And it matters so much for kids, because if not for me seeing it when I was younger and then also having the revelation when I got older, like, oh, I can do this, because there have been other people that have been doing this.

Also, I love Glinda. I just thought it was so cool to have this witch, this good witch, be able to tell young black kids that if you have the belief in yourself, you can literally do whatever you want; anything you set your mind to, you can be. For young kids that's so important.

What’s your favorite part of the show each night?

Oh, that's a hard question. It is hard to pick. I will probably say anytime all four heroes are on stage and we're just literally just deep in a scene and joking and playing around, the audience is also super into the story. That’s always a highlight. Also, just doing it with this cast. We’ve been on the road together for a year now.

Wow, you must all be so close. Are you all close offstage as well?

It’s hard not to be. I’m more of a hermit — I do the show and sleep — but whenever we’re together, there’s never a boring day onstage.

Any funny onstage moments that stand out?

There was one night when I came onstage on my little throne, ready to roar — and the sound effect didn’t happen. I roared, and nothing came out. 

You mean, there’s supposed to be a sound effect? 

Yes. On top of me actually roaring. There's a sound effect on top of it. Okay. But there was no sound effect that night. And then I just looked around and proceeded to go, like, who cares? And for the rest of the show, the only thing that I could do was try to stop myself from laughing as I am literally dancing up and down this stage. We're all on stage, we all just lost it.

That’s funny. On another note, does all the recent “Wicked” buzz help The Wiz?

Absolutely. People were already talking about the tour, and having Wicked in the background kept interest high.

Do you see the audience members coming to the show in theme?   

All the time! Adults in full costumes, kids dressed as the lion or Dorothy. It’s so beyond cute. I think that it's one of my favorite parts because they'll literally come to the stage door and I usually try to keep my makeup on, just in case everyone wants to take pictures.

The Segerstrom Stage Door is a little tricky because it’s at the back side of the theater, where people don’t really walk by. Will you meet fans there? 

This is my first time at The Segerstrom. This is my first time in California! But I'm sure if families are coming to see it, I'm on Instagram, most of our cast is on Instagram—If someone were to post that they're there and they want to see us, I have no problem meeting anybody at that theater and taking pictures. 

Wait, so this is your first time in LA! Do you have any special plans for your day off? 

We have one “golden day.” For people who don't know what that means, it is a Monday when we don't have any travel and we get a full day to do whatever we want. So me and a couple of the other cast members are going to Disneyland because I've also never been to Disneyland!

OK, lightning round! Answer these questions with the first thing that comes to your mind: 

OK. 

First Broadway show you saw?

The Phantom of the Opera.

Dream role—other than the Lion?

Aaron Burr or Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton.

Go-to karaoke song?

“Ordinary People” by John Legend.

Something people don’t know about you?

I’m a lot chiller than people may think.

(Because you’re the cowardly lion) Something you’re afraid of? 

Oceans.

If you could steal one thing—a set or costume piece— from the set of The Wiz, what would it be?

Evillene’s tambourine.