Kenny Leon News

Fresh off the successful run of its inaugural production, Unexplored Interior (This is Rwanda: The Beginning and End of the Earth), Mosaic Theater Company of DC doubles-down its focus on posing the big questions of our community with Charles MacArthur Award-nominee Marcus Gardley's lyrical THE GOSPEL OF LOVINGKINDNESS, a poetic chamber play that takes audience members to the streets of Chicago in a story both tragic and familiar.

Saturday's episode of NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE featured a spoof on last week's live broadcat of THE WIZ LIVE! In the sketch, West Oz's Scarecrow (host Ryan Gosling) mistakenly ends up in East Oz with Dorothy (Sasheer Zamata), Cowardly Lion (Kenan Thompson), Tin Man (Jay Pharoah), Scarecrow (Michael Che) and The Wiz (Leslie Jones).

When mounting an upcoming Broadway version of NBC's THE WIZ LIVE, maybe producers should consider casting superstar Beyonce.

NBC aired its colorful holiday production of THE WIZ LIVE! last night, featuring newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy alongside Grammy and Golden Globe-winner Queen Latifah as the Wizard, nine-time Grammy-winner Mary J. Blige as Evillene, original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, as Auntie Em and David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion. Whether you missed the special presentation when it aired or just want to re-live the amazing journey through Oz, watch the entire show below!

As BWW reported earlier today, NBC's live broadcast of THE WIZ LIVE! brought in a whopping 11.5 million viewers - a reason to celebrate for the network. Another reason? The introduction of the unforgettable Shanice Williams. Cast member James Brown III caught Williams' re-entry backstage following her powerful performance of the show's finale, 'Home,' last night. Check out a quick video of the cast and crew's standing ovation for 'Dorothy' actress below!

As BWW reported earlier today, NBC's live broadcast of THE WIZ LIVE! brought in a whopping 11.5 million viewers - a reason to celebrate for the network. Executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron chatted with the Hollywood Reporter today about the huge success of the show and what is in store for the future.

Below, watch the talented cast performing 'Home', 'No Bad News,' 'He's The Wiz,' 'So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard,' 'Branded New Day' and 'Ease On Down the Road.'

Thanks to Tony-winner Kenny Leon and a delightfully entertaining cast of characters, 'Home' is most certainly where the heart is this holiday season. Coming into this year's NBC live musical, theatre lovers nationwide were appropriately apprehensive, given the spotty results from THE SOUND OF MUSIC and PETER PAN. However, in THE WIZ LIVE!, we were finally given a production worthy of the show's beloved Broadway legacy. Executive Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan still haven't solved the riddle of recreating a stage show's scope and grandeur on screen without an audience, but with a once-in-a-lifetime star, and one of the most acclaimed casts in recent memory, for the first time since this annual experiment began in 2013, there's truly a reason to rejoice!

In anticipation of this star-studded event, throughout the week, we are looking at the impressive musical careers (and when possible, musical theatre careers) of THE WIZ LIVE! stars. Today, we are easing on down the road with the group at the center of the story, the four characters affectionately referred to as 'The Friends;' Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. This group has a two-time Tony nominee and comedy legend, a rising Hollywood star, a three-time Grammy winning R&B icon, and a virtual unknown in the role of a lifetime.

THE WIZ was part of a growing trend of the 1970s when urban black stories and music were making their way to Broadway.

Below, check out an all-new promo for the show, featuring Williams singing the iconic song 'Home'.

Can YOU feel a brand new day? We're gearing up to ease on down the road with powerhouse newcomer Shanice Williams and the rest of the gang from Oz, when THE WIZ LIVE! premieres Thursday, December 3, at 8pm on NBC.  Of course, as was the case in 2013's THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! and last year's PETER PAN LIVE!, the cast is certainly not short on big-name talent — and most come with Broadway or theatrical credits, no less. As if you didn't already know, be sure to look out for Queen Latifah (of 2002's CHICAGO and 2007's HAIRSPRAY), Elijah Kelley (also of 2007's HAIRSPRAY), Uzo Aduba (of CORAM BOY and 2011's GODSPELL), and David Alan Grier (2012's PORGY AND BESS). 

Today's the day! And a huge one it is for the company of NBC's THE WIZ LIVE! The Long Island soundstage that the cast and crew have been calling home for the past month will be bustling today as finishing touches are placed on the star-studded production. Theatre fans know that this won't be the first time that NBC has pulled off such a massive undertaking. 9.21 million people tuned in for last year's PETER PAN LIVE!, while THE SOUND OF MUSIC, presented in 2013, yielded a whopping 18.62 million live viewers- an unprecedented ratings boom for the network. Few can understand the pressure that comes with this kind of attention, but the casts of THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! and PETER PAN LIVE! have been through all of it before. BroadwayWorld has been in touch with both companies to find out if they have any advice for their successors. Find out what they had to say below! 

In anticipation of NBC's upcoming holiday production of THE WIZ LIVE!, some of the cast stopped by the set of another NBC show- THE VOICE. Watch below as Dorothy (Shanice Williams) shows her friends what she's got!

Today, McLane speaks exclusively to BWW about the magic behind the journey of these beloved characters, as they ease on down the road and onto our TV screens!

BroadwayWorld was on set earlier this month as the company was readying for the big night and we checked in with animal trainer BIll Berloni, who is working with Toto (played by Scooter), to find out how rehearsals have been going so far. Check out the full interview below!

The big day has arrived! THE WIZ LIVE! airs tonight, December 3, at 8PM/7c. The production will star newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy alongside Grammy and Golden Globe-winner Queen Latifah as the Wizard, nine-time Grammy-winner Mary J. Blige as Evillene, original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, as Auntie Em and David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion.

BroadwayWorld was on set earlier this month as the company was readying for the big night and we checked in with Harvey Fierstein to find out what kind of changes he made to the book to make it more modern. Check out the full interview below!

We are another day closer to NBC's highly-anticipated musical special, THE WIZ LIVE!, which airs Thursday, December 3, at 8PM/7c. The production will star newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy alongside Grammy and Golden Globe-winner Queen Latifah as the Wizard, nine-time Grammy-winner Mary J. Blige as Evillene, original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, as Auntie Em and David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion.

The big day is her! THE WIZ LIVE! airs tonight, December 3, at 8PM/7c. The production will star newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy alongside Grammy and Golden Globe-winner Queen Latifah as the Wizard, nine-time Grammy-winner Mary J. Blige as Evillene, original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, as Auntie Em and David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion.