Exclusive: Kenny Leon Discusses Directing NBC’s The Wiz Live!

Tony Award winning director Kenny Leon has enjoyed an exceptional and creative career on Broadway, in regional theatre, and television. But, now, he’s embarking on what may be his most ambitious project to date – directing the highly anticipated television production of NBC’s The Wiz Live! starring a stellar cast that includes newcomer Shanice Williams as “Dorothy” and the original “Dorothy” Stephanie Mills. In a recent interview with Broadway Black, Leon shared his thoughts on several subjects related to the production, including rehearsing with the cast, the differences in directing a stage play versus a staged musical, and how younger audience members will relate to this timeless story.

BB: So what are rehearsals like these days?

Crazy! It’s all consuming in a good way. The actors are in a very good place. And, we’re just trying to make sure we get the right shots and the right angles to make sure we’re telling the story.

It was like four weeks into rehearsal hall to get all the actors emotionally in the right places. Now, we’ve moved to the studios. And, I can realize how many acrobatic moves there are and make sure we can make some adjustments so that it will read better on camera. And, at the same time keep them in the right place because now that we’re doing technical stuff, I can’t have them lose the emotional stuff because this is really about Storytelling 101. So, I don’t want people to leave it until the commercials are there.

The story has to be told in such a strong emotional way that we stay there with it. And, there’s nothing like this, in terms of the way it looks. It’s not like the Grammy Awards. Or it’s not like the Voice. Or, it’s not like a play. Or, it’s not like a movie. Or it’s not like a television show. It will look different and tonally beat different than anything you’ve seen. So, that part of it is very exciting and scary. But, exciting in a good way.

BB: How is it different directing a stage play versus a staged musical?

It’s all the same because I’m a storyteller so it’s all about finding the truth and understanding the tools that you have to work with. And, my directing for stage has always been very cinematic. And, when I come to the camera side it’s like I got more tools. I got a dolly. I got a steady cam. With this particular project, it’s taken all of my skillset. I ran a major theatre company in Atlanta, so administratively; I’ve run big groups of people. I’ve done musicals. I’ve done five movies of the week. I’ve done episodic – “Private Practice” and “The Ghost Whisperer.” So, I’ve done all of that stuff.

This project requires a skillset from all of that because it’s none of that. This is a hybrid. America hasn’t seen it. And, directors haven’t directed it. But, I have done a little bit of all of that. We don’t want to do anything that would not make the story look great. That’s the exciting part. It’s a hybrid. It feels like a revolution here.

I learned something from Sound of Music and from Peter Pan. What we’ve done for our production this year, for instance, when you want to shoot into the wings, you couldn’t do that before. So, what we’ve done, we designed the LED legs so that the legs turn and form a backdrop so you can shoot a character here because they have a backdrop there. You don’t have to see the wings where the other actors are getting ready for the next scene. So, I have learned from seeing those once or twice. So, yeah it’s exciting because it’s a hybrid.

BB: What does this production hold for audiences who are Shanice’s age, i.e., young girl?

She’s the living embodiment of Dorothy. Because the story that you’re telling in The Wiz, they can say that’s a real story for them. This is a girl who didn’t have a Twitter account, who didn’t have a first professional show. Now, she’s in it and she’s beautiful. And, she looks the way she looks. She doesn’t look like a Hollywood size two. But, she looks like an ordinary girl who’s beautiful, who went after her passion and got an opportunity. So it tells you that if you work hard, this can happen to you, too.

Like everyone else, we’re giddy and excited to see what Leon has in store for us with this version of the black cult classic. And, we’ll be tuning in when it airs on NBC on Thursday, December 3 at 8 pm.