San Francisco, CA — Today, Mayor London N. Breed joined City leaders and Broadway SF at the SFJAZZ Center to welcome the cast and production team of The Wiz to San Francisco. Performances for the musical, a groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz, will span four weeks at the Golden Gate Theatre beginning this month on January 17 through February 11, 2024. The cast features five-time Emmy Award winner, Wayne Brady as The Wiz, and award-winning recording artist Deborah Cox as Glinda.
During today’s event, Mayor Breed presented a proclamation to a member of the show’s production team.
During its engagement in San Francisco, producers of The Wiz are planning community youth engagement events and community service projects, including a Creative Conversation featuring choreographer JaQuel Knight and other performances at The African American Art and Culture Complex on January 11 and another event at the Bayview Opera House on January 25.
Producers of The Wiz, Broadway SF, and Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) will donate 100 complimentary tickets for youth ages 8 and up from various San Francisco Arts Alliance organizations.
The Arts and Culture sector supports over 12,000 San Francisco jobs and, in 2022, the City saw approximately $477 million in direct spending by audiences. San Francisco continues to rank as a top choice for the arts; from Broadway musicals to the City’s renowned Ballet and Symphony, residents and visitors enjoy a range of entertainment options.
“The Wiz is a classic, Tony-Award winning musical so I look forward to supporting its success and welcoming the cast to San Francisco,” said Mayor London Breed. “I’m especially grateful that the Wiz is not only coming to San Francisco to perform, but also to engage in the community. This means their impact won’t just be felt on the stage, but throughout our City. The Arts are part of who we are as a City and we will continue to celebrate how it supports our economy, culture, and our future.”
The Wiz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic musical score packed with soul, gospel, rock and 70s funk, to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world. Following its run in Baltimore, the original city where the show made its world premiere 50 years ago, the tour has visited Emerald cities across the country before beginning its limited engagement on Broadway in the Spring 2024.
“I am an art kid. I went to a performing arts school in Atlanta and, of course, my group Xscape, were discovered in high school and we were all singers. The group changed the course of my life. Not only are we still singing together today, we have all grown and taken on new opportunities. That all stems from art in my community,” said Kandi Burruss, one of the musical’s producers, singer in Xscape, and star of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. “The Wiz is the latest opportunity for my husband and me to continue supporting the arts by opening up the doors of the theater to people who are not traditionally welcomed. Community partnership allows us to do this very thing and aligning with Broadway San Francisco and the City of San Francisco through THE WIZ is the perfect example of community partnership at its best.”
About The Wiz
The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975 and became an instant sensation, going 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. That original production ran for four years (first at The Majestic Theatre and later at The Broadway Theatre) – and 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.
The current national tour’s cast features Wayne Brady (Chicago, Kinky Boots) as The Wiz, award-winning recording artist Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody Betts (The Factotum, Lyric Opera Of Chicago) as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman (A Strange Loop) as Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson ("Sharper," A24) as Tinman, and recording artist Avery Wilson ("On Top Of The World) as Scarecrow. Nichelle Lewis (Hairspray, National Tour) makes a star turn Broadway debut as Dorothy. Director Schele Williams (The Notebook, revival of Disney’s Aida) and choreographer JaQuel Knight (Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’, Black is King) conjure an Oz unlike anything seen before.
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