Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker Join The Wiz Producing Team

Singer/songwriter, actor, and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker have joined the producing team for The Wiz, which is set to launch a national tour this fall, followed by a planned Broadway return in the 2023-24 season.

“We are thrilled to be part of The Wiz. The songs, choreography, costumes, everything about The Wiz is epic!” said Burruss and Tucker in a statement. “We have always said we want to help open the doors of theater to all people. Theater has the power to influence and inspire people to create change through art, and that is what we all need now. Art can heal and art can change you. It has changed us. So, come on and ease on down the road with us!”

The Wiz features a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls (and others). Schele Williams directs the new production, which also includes choreography by JaQuel Knight and additional material by Emmy-nominated writer and TV host Amber Ruffin. Music supervision, orchestrations, and music arrangements are by Joseph Joubert, and vocal and music arrangements are by Allen René Louis.

The design team will include scenic design by Academy Award winner Hannah Beachler (Black Panther, Beyonce’s Black is King and Lemonade), costume design by Emmy Award winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Sharen Davis (Ray, Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award winner Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man), sound design by Jon Weston (Parade), and wig design by Academy Award winner Mia Neal (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom).

The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 and went on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ted Ross), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Dee Dee Bridgewater), Best Choreography (George Faison), Best Direction of a Musical (Geoffrey Holder), and Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder). A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor, and Lena Horne.

The revival production will launch its national tour in the Fall of 2023 in Baltimore, MD, home of the musical’s 1974 world premiere.