UNIVERSITY PARK — Crossroads Live North America, producer of the national tour of the groundbreaking hit musical “The Wiz,” is thrilled to announce an all-new cast who will ease on down the road.
Following an acclaimed run on Broadway, the revival brings Oz roaring back to life for a new generation at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
Tickets are $89 and $74 for an adult, $57 and 52 for a University Park student, and $72 and $57 for a person 18 and younger. Buy your tickets online via the Arts Ticket Center. Avoid the $4 fee by purchasing by phone at 814-863-0255 or in person, weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Eisenhower Auditorium.
The Center for the Performing Arts and the Arts Ticket Center are parts of the Penn State College of Arts & Architecture.
Visit “The Wiz” online for more information, including how to reserve ASL interpretation or audio description services.
Leading this new company are “American Idol” Season 23 finalist Gabby Samone as Dorothy, international vocalist and actor Bryan DeMond as The Wiz; “The Voice” Season 28 contestant Toni Lorene Baker as Glinda; April Renee Moye as Aunt Em/Evillene; multi-award-winning gospel recording artist and “The Voice” Season 20 Live Playoffs contestant Jose E. Figueroa Jr. as Scarecrow; Jaelen Spellman as Tinman; and “The Voice” Season 25 Winner Asher HaVon as Lion.
“We are so excited to have this extremely talented cast who will bring such a range of life and entertainment backgrounds to the stage. I can’t wait for audiences across the country to experience them live,” said Kori Prior, executive producer of “The Wiz,” Crossroads Live North America.
An enduring tale of Black joy
Based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz” reimagines one of America’s most enduring stories through the lens of Black culture, music and joy.
“The Wiz” premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation. It 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), and in a Broadway first, Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Costume Design (Geoffrey Holder).
“Ease on Down the Road” became the show’s break-out single, and “Home” has since
become a bona fide classic. The original production ran for four years (first at The Majestic Theatre and later at The Broadway Theatre), and for 1,672 performances on Broadway. A 1978 film adaptation starred Diana Ross, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Richard Pryor and Lena Horne, and marked Quincy Jones’ first collaboration with Michael Jackson.
Nearly five decades later, “The Wiz” found its way back home. The all-new production launched its pre-Broadway national tour in Baltimore in 2023, the city where the musical had its original world premiere in 1974, before making its triumphant return to Broadway in April of 2024. The production’s Fiftieth Anniversary Tour culminated in May, and that same acclaimed Broadway revival continues its journey across America in this newest tour, inviting audiences to experience the magic of Oz live and in a production unlike any other.
