Stephanie Mills will ease on down to NBC’s upcoming musical adaptation of The Wiz, itself an African American musical adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But she won’t be playing Dorothy in this version.
Mills played Dorothy in the original Broadway production of The Wiz in 1975 and in a 1984 revival, but will portray Auntie Em in NBC’s live broadcast of the play. The network is looking to find a newcomer to play Dorothy.
NBC announced in March that The Wiz would follow NBC’s previous live musical productions The Sound of Music and Peter Pan. But The Wiz will be the first to be co-produced by Cirque du Soleil’s new stage theatrical division, which will also help adapt the show for the Broadway stage.
The announcement was reportedly made at the Peacock network’s New York upfronts, and was later shared on Twitter by executive producer Craig Zadan.
As previously reported, the production will air on Dec. 3, with plans to bring it to the Broadway in the 2016-17 season.
Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
