Nichelle Lewis to Star as Dorothy in Broadway-Bound Revival of The Wiz
(© Gene Reed)
Nichelle Lewis will make her Broadway debut in the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming revival of The Wiz, which is launching as a national tour in Baltimore beginning September 23 ahead of a Broadway run next spring.
Lewis is originally from Virginia and was discovered through a TikTok video, beating out over 2,000 other submissions for the leading role. She has previously performed in the national tour of Hairspray (Dynamite/Cindy Watkins), Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon/Crystal), Bare: A Pop Opera (Ivy), and Labelless, a new musical.
Featuring a book by William F. Brown and a Tony Award-winning score by Charlie Smalls, The Wiz retells the story of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz for an all-Black cast. Schele Williams will helm this reimagined production, with choreography by Jaquel Knight, additional material by Amber Ruffin, and music supervision, orchestrations, and music arrangements by Joseph Joubert. The production will also feature vocal and music arrangements by Allen René Louis.
As previously announced, the cast will include Deborah Cox as Glinda and Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow. Richardson and Wilson will be making their Broadway debuts. The Wiz ensemble includes Maya Bowles, Shayla Alayre Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Judith Franklin, Michael Samarie George, Collin Heyward, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Polanco Jones, Kolby Kindle, Mariah Lyttle, Kareem Marsh, Anthony Murphy, Cristina Rae, Matthew Sims Jr, Avilon Trust Tate, Keenan D. Washington, and Timothy Wilson.
Wayne Brady will lead the production as the title character on Broadway next spring, San Francisco (January 16, 2024-February 11, 2024) at the Golden Gate Theatre, and Los Angeles (February 13, 2024 – March 3, 2024) at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Alan Mingo Jr. will star in the role of the Wiz in the following cities of The Wiz National Tour this fall, kicking off with the tour launch in Baltimore, including Cleveland; Washington, DC; Pittsburgh; Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta; Greenville, South Carolina; Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; Tempe, Arizona; and San Diego.
The Wiz design team will include scenic design by Academy Award-winning Hannah Beachler (Black Panther), costume design by Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated Sharen Davis (Dreamgirls), lighting design by Barrymore Award-winning Ryan J. O’Gara (Thoughts of a Colored Man), sound design by Jon Weston (Parade), projection design by Daniel Brodie (Motown the Musical), and wig design by Charles LaPointe (MJ the Musical).
