The cast of The Wiz Live! sure know how to build anticipation! Since the announcement that NBC will be doing a live reboot of The Wiz, we have been hanging on to each announcement and sharing it with you on Broadway Black. If you haven’t yet heard about the show, check out our previous article here. “The Wiz Live!” will star Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Shanice Williams, David Alan Grier, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley and Common and is scheduled to air Thursday, December 3.
Get ready to hit the road with this star-studded cast in #TheWiz! https://t.co/DmoZVHGiKT pic.twitter.com/V4dVpcRoty
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) November 2, 2015
Now we have a bit of news that’s so wonderful, we couldn’t wait to share it! Ne-Yo, who has been cast as the “Tin Man,” is not only a wonderful singer and dancer but a prolific songwriter. He has penned hits such as “Let Me Love You” for Mario, Rihanna’s “Unfaithful” and “Take a Bow” and Beyonce’s girl power anthem “Irreplaceable.” Elijah Kelley, who has been cast as “Scarecrow,” is also a phenomenal singer, dancer and actor known for roles in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and the film adaptation of “Hairspray.” These two got together with members of “The Wiz Live!” creative team, hitmaking super producer Harvey Mason, Jr. and Broadway musical director and orchestrator Stephen Oremus, and have written a brand new song for “The Wiz Live!” This tantalizing information was announced during a Q&A session at the Apple Store in Soho. The new song is a part of the effort to make this version of the beloved adaption of “The Wizard of Oz” fresh and exciting for new audiences. Fans can expect to hear the song sung by the yellow brick quartet of “Dorothy,” “Cowardly Lion,” “Tin Man,” and “Scarecrow.”
We cannot wait to hear the new music and look forward to the live performance of “The Wiz Live!” on NBC. It has been a favorite of audiences for years and we are sure that this new iteration of an iconic Black classic will be just as delectable as the original that we know and love.
Pre-order the album from Amazon HERE!
