WE CAN’T BREATHE! What could we say to get you to understand the power of what you’re about see? We’ve been gushing all over The Wiz Live since the initial announcement of its coming live broadcast. So to see the original Broadway Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, sing with the new Dorothy, Shanice Williams, of NBC’s Live version, is beyond anything we could ever imagine.
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This year is the 40th Anniversary of The Wiz and we are so thankful that NBC has been showing respect in so many great ways. The newest of ways is in the People.com web exlcusive. You’ll see Stephanie Mills & Shanice Williams along with Broadway musical director Zane Mark. As Mark plays the piano, the two amazing talents duet and sing “Home” with such ease and grace it will blow your mind. We also love that a “Sing, Shanice!” was thrown in there because we were saying the same thing on our end. This is just a piece of heaven.
Stephanie Mills, who was the original Dorothy in the Broadway production of The Wiz in 1975 and for the revival in 1984, will play Aunt Em in NBC’s live production of the musical December 3.
Watch Mills & Williams sing “Home” from The Wiz in intimate performance below.
Also watch a behind the scenes look at how Shanice Williams became Dorothy in NBC’s The Wiz Live and a little bit about what her life has been like since.
Joining these two talents are Ne-Yo as the “Tinman,” Elijah Kelley (Lee Daniels’ “The Butler”) as the “Scarecrow,” and David Alan Grier as “The Cowardly Lion.”
True to their word of incorporating amazing acrobatic feats, several of the ensemble cast have experience as Cirque du Soleil performers. We can’t wait to see how choreographer Fatima Robinson has these amazing performers soaring.
Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah & Grammy Award winner Mary J. Blige are also in the cast of The Wiz Live. Latifah will play “The Wiz,” a role originated on stage by the incomparable Andre De Shields (Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Full Monty). Blige will portray the role of “Evillene”, the horrible wicked witch known for the upbeat “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News,” in addition to Uzo Aduba as Glinda The Good Witch, and Amber Riley as Addaperle, as previously announced.
The ensemble, in alphabetical order are: Chris Borrero, Olutayo Bosede, James Brown III, Ta’rea Campbell, Jessica Castro,Kacie Garland, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Frankie Gordils, Khadija Griffith,Tre Holloway, Antonio Hudnell, Carlos Irizarry, Marcus Paul James,Frederic Jean, Capathia Jenkins, Mykal Kilgore, Tamika Lawrence, India R. McGee, Antonio Moore, Maurice Murphy, Danielle Polanco, Malaiyka Reid, Eric Sanchez, Chris Silcox, Sherisse Springer, Ahmahd Thomas, Raphael Thomas, Elon Van Buckley, Alex Wade, Donald Webber, DaShaun Wesley, Xavier Wilcher, and NaTasha Yvette Williams.
