Hope Mill Theatre in association with Ameena Hamid Productions have announced casting for the Manchester venue’s eagerly-anticipated festive production of The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical “Wonderful Wizard of Oz”.
As previously announced the first new UK production of the musical in ten years, directed by the Actors Touring Company’s artistic director and former Royal Exchange associate artistic director Matthew Xia, will be the Christmas attraction at the Hope Mill Theatre from 24 November 2021 until 16 January 2022.
Commenting on the production, Xia said: “The Wiz is approaching its 50th anniversary, it now exists within the canon of mainstream musicals and it’s due time for some bold reinvention. Originally a funk and soul-based analogy for the African-American experience, in 2021 Manchester we’re offering a contemporary take on the discovery of self-determination and Black joy with this celebration of Black culture across the African diaspora.”
After open auditions in June in London and in Manchester the cast will include Cherelle Williams (The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre, Motown The Musical, Shaftesbury Theatre) as Dorothy, Tarik Frimpong (Aladdin, West End, Mary Poppins Returns) as Scarecrow, Jonathan Andre (The Lion King, West End, Fela! Broadway and US tour) as Lion, Cameron Bernard Jones (South Pacific, Chichester Festival Theatre, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Aldwych Theatre) as The Wiz, Analisa Lamola (Sunset Boulevard, Alexandra Palace Theatre, The Color Purple, Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome) as Addaperie, Bree Smith (The Book of Mormon, West End, West Side Story, Royal Exchange Theatre) as Aunt Em/Glinda and Ashh Blackwood (Horrible Histories: Terrible Thames, Birmingham Stage Company) as Evillene.
They will be joined by Kofi Dennis, a member of Creation Theatre’s newly-formed digital rep company as Lord High and a number of actors who will be making their professional stage debuts in the production including Llewellyn Graham as Tin Man and ensemble members Andile Mabhena, Shayna McPherson, Samantha Shuma and Marisha Morgan. The ensemble is completed by Dylan Gordon-Jones (Grease The Musical, UK tour).
Commenting on the new orchestrations he created for the production, musical supervisor Sean Green said: “In thinking about how much the music is loved, I had the thought ‘What if the music was a love letter to black music?’ I started hearing all sorts of music within the DNA of the score. This exploration has allowed me to incorporate various genres from across the African Diaspora in the new orchestrations which, alongside the funk and soul in the original, really adds depth and colour to the world that we’re creating with this production.”
The creative team for the production also includes choreographer Leah Hill, designer Simon Kenny, associate costume designer Maybelle Laye, lighting designer Simisola Majekodunmi, sound designer Tony Gayle, casting director Ryan Carter and casting mentor Anne Vosser.
Hope Mill Theatre will co-produce alongside Hamid and assistant producer ChuChu Nwagu.
The Wiz local outreach plans include: an audio described performance; Touch Tour; BSL Performance; dance or singing workshops for schools in Hope Mill’s Community Hub with members of the cast; and Wiz-themed workshops in schools.
The Hope Mill Theatre School will receive a Wiz workshop and Q and A with members of the cast and crew; a Wiz dance workshop with members of the cast which will also be made available to join on Zoom; a Schools Pack which will be available to schools with extension work for the classroom; careers social media videos featuring interviews with the Wiz creatives about how they got into their chosen career path; and free tickets will be made available through the theatre’s First Curtain scheme for local children who haven’t been to the theatre before/or aren’t usually able to access live theatre.
With music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, a book by William F. Brown and original orchestrations by Harold Wheeler, The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” debuted on Broadway in 1975. Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s much-loved children’s novel, the musical won seven Tonys including the award for Best Musical.
The ground-breaking production featured a career launching performance from Stephanie Mills who would return to the role of Dorothy in the 1984 Broadway revival and its subsequent London run.
A major British revival was co-produced by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the West Yorkshire Playhouse with the usual Kansas-setting relocated to modern day Birmingham.
The musical provided the inspiration for a big budget 1978 film with an all-star cast led by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. This was followed in 2015 by a live TV production. Mixing elements of the original 1975 Broadway production and the 1978 film version, the NBC production starred Queen Latifah in the title role and Mary J. Blige as the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wiz Live! proved a hit with both the critics and viewers when it was first broadcast in December 2015 and was one of the shows made available to homebound audiences in 2020 on The Shows Must Go On YouTube channel.
Angela Thomas
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