Kokandy Productions is pleased to launch its fifth anniversary season with a revival of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical THE WIZ, with book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, directed by guest director Lili-Anne Brown, music direction by Jimmy Morehead and choreography by Breon Arzell. THE WIZ will play March 5 - April 16, 2017 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.kokandyproductions.com, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. The press opening isSaturday, March 11 at 8 pm.
Children's Theatre Company has announced its 2017-2018 season, which includes four musicals, two world premieres, one preschool production and partnerships with other leading theatres such as The Old Vic (London, UK), The Civilians (New York, NY) and Penumbra Theatre (Saint Paul, MN). The season also celebrates Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius' 20th Anniversary with CTC.
And, lord! What a cast Larson has assembled for his unique take on the musical - which again was catapulted into the cultural zeitgeist thanks to the critically acclaimed televised version from NBC last year of the show that features the music and lyrics of Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown - and what a collective of creative types he's once again pulled together to bring his vision to the TSU stage.
Kokandy Productions will launch its fifth anniversary season with a revival of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical THE WIZ, with book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, directed by guest director Lili-Anne Brown, music direction by Jimmy Morehead and choreography by Breon Arzell.
Kokandy Productions has announced casting for its upcoming revival of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical THE WIZ, directed by guest director Lili-Anne Brown with music direction by Jimmy Morehead and choreography by Breon Arzell, playing March 5 - April 16, 2017 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.
NBC's holiday production of THE WIZ LIVE this year garnered six EMMY AWARD nominations. At tonight's Creative Emmy Awards ceremony, Paul Tazewell picked up the award for Outstanding Costumes For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program.
Kokandy Productions is pleased to celebrate its fifth anniversary with an expanded season featuring four fully produced musicals, including two Chicago premieres and two guest directors. The 2017/18 Season will also include numerous readings and workshops - adding fresh voices to Kokandy's "New Works Initiative" and emphasizing the company's commitment to becoming an increasingly relevant part of Chicagoland's musical theater and new work development communities. The new season also marks Kokandy's transition to a not-for-profit organization.
The cast and crew of NBC's acclaimed production of THE WIZ LIVE! reunited yesterday, Wednesday, June 1 at Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles for a panel discussion and live musical performances. Check out clips from the day below!
The cast and crew of NBC's acclaimed production of THE WIZ LIVE! reunited Wednesday, June 1 at Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles for a panel discussion and live musical performances.
Cirque du Soleil - PARAMOUR is the organization's first production created specifically for Broadway. PARAMOUR just opened last night, May 25 at the Lyric Theatre and BroadwayWorld was on hand for the special night. Check out photos from the star-studded red carpet below!
Today 1985, the first Broadway revival of The Wiz opened at the Lunt-Fontanne THeatre, where it ran for 13 performances. The Wiz is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland and moved to the Majestic Theatre. The 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
This season holds a wealth of 'theatre magic' for you! A little frightening, and a lot of fun! Spotlighters tackles a variety of genres, and takes our audiences on some dark travels into the world of politics, feuding families and neighbors, gossipy friends, crime, murder and Dungeon & Dragons.
Oh, the places you'll go! The Oregon Shakespeare Festival transports audiences to a ghostly Danish castle, dynastic China, and Oz's Emerald City when its outdoor theatre opens the weekend of June 17-19. The Allen Elizabethan Theatre will feature Hamlet, directed by Lisa Peterson; the classic 1970s musical The Wiz, directed by Robert O'Hara; and The Winter's Tale, directed by Desdemona Chiang. The shows will close the weekend of October 14-16.
When it opened at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway in 1975, The Wiz was heralded as a groundbreaking theatrical event because it was a large-scale, big-budget musical featuring an all-African American cast. The Wiz laid the foundation for other African-American hits including Dreamgirls. Most recently, The Wiz Live! was featured on NBC in December of 2015, and beginning on March 23, The Wiz will ease on down to Jacksonville with its debut at the Alhambra Theatre & Dining featuring a big cast, big costumes and a big set. The show will run through April 24.
With music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown, THE WIZ is an urban retelling of the classic fantasy story based on the children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Filled with beloved songs, incredible dance numbers, tornadoes, munchkins, and skateboarding monkeys, the enthusiasm of the cast as directed and choreographed by Chelsea Field and magnificent student rock orchestra conducted by Stephen McDonough under the Musical Direction of Kelci Hahn, will transport you in believing this is a professional company of triple threat actors at the top of their game.
Sony Music Masterworks and Broadway Records release the original soundtrack of the NBC Television event 'The Wiz LIVE!' via all digital service providers (download and streaming) today, December 11, followed by the CD on December 18.
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).
