Directed by Jon M. Chu, “In The Heights” tells the residents’ story in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan, NY. Tony nominee Cory Hawkins will play Benny alongside Anthony Ramos, who plays the main character of Usnavi, and singer/songwriter Leslie Grace who plays Nina. The production will be streaming on HBOMax and premiering in theatres simultaneously.

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Following the release of “In The Heights” in June, “West Side Story” is slated for release in December 2021. This adaptation will be directed by Stephen Speilberg and stars David Alvarez, Ariana Debose, Rachel Zegler, and Ansel Elgort. Everyone is ready to dive into Tony and Maria’s romance and get caught up in the kids’ twists and twirls in the Upper West Side. The cast is rounded out with Rita Moreno, who played the role of Anita in the 1961 film, this time around, she will be seen on screen as Valentina, newly created role.

 

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“Dear Evan Hansen” is another adaptation set for release in September, with Ben Platt reprising his award-winning role. The Stephen Chbosky directed film will be bringing the gripping tale to the big screen and delivering an all-star cast. Amandla Stenberg is set to play Alana Beck alongside Kaitlyn Denver, who plays Evan’s crush, Zoe Murphy.

Other musical adaptations that are slated for release may be arriving a little later than this year, but we are excited to hear about them all the same. With the top must-see being “The Color Purple.” The film adaptation is set for release in December of 2023 and directed by Blitz Bazawule (Beyonce’s Black Is King). Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders, and Steven Spielberg will be producing, and with the film currently in development, there hasn’t been any word about casting. Still, with star power like that behind the scenes, you can guarantee that the cast will be just as phenomenal.

The post Music to My Ears: Movie Musical Adaptations Coming Soon appeared first on Broadway Black.

Everyone thinks of The Wiz as an iconic production; the music, casting, and conceptualizing of The Wizard of Oz from a classic movie to an urban tale has been so successful that it’s storyline is practically woven into our collective consciousness. However, the Broadway production of The Wiz was nearly a disaster when it first opened.

A bit of background; in 1972 Ken Harper came up with the idea to modify the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” to a black musical. Twentieth Century Fox became interested in the idea, and after Harper presented the idea, Fox signed on. In exchange for first option for film rights, publishing rights and album rights, they agreed to put up an ante of $650,000 with a 20 percent overcall. Shortly afterward, Harper brought on Geoffrey Holder as costume designer (who eventually became the director), 16 year old Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, and 18 year old Hinton Battle as the Scarecrow.

Once The Wiz opened in New York, the show only grossed $46,000 in previews (and the weekly production cost was $67,000); things were so bleak that on opening night a closing notice was posted backstage. The reviews after opening night were mostly negative, but Fox allowed the production to continue for another month, provided that ticket sales increased on weekends.

A radio and television booking blitz followed, and word of mouth started to build. The result? A week later, The Wiz sold out the Saturday matinee, and Fox decided to add $120,000 in advertising money. The decision was made to do a television commercial, which was a novelty at the time. The $30,000 commercial featured the song, “Ease On Down the Road,” and within another two weeks after the commercial aired, every performance sold out.

As we now know, The Wiz won seven Tony Awards, has been seen all over the world, and turned into a movie; later this year, there will be a live presentation on NBC, with Stephanie Mills playing the role of Aunt Em, and will be presented as a Broadway revival for the 2016-2017 season.

Ease On Down The Road and watch this video from the original Broadway musical below.

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The post The Wiz: The Musical That Almost Wasn’t appeared first on Broadway Black.