Seeing Yourself in The Wiz

Standing in the pastel-blue living room, hair in some incongruous “Broadway” style, an 8-year-old sings “Home,” wistfully crooning in her best Stephanie Mills style. Three years later, she and her friends choreograph a dizzying, spinning version of “Tornado” for the school dance show.

That little white girl? She loved The Wiz, but she had no idea of the impact the 1975 musical and its 1978 film version had on generations of Black audiences and artists. The Wiz wasn’t the first all-Black Broadway musical (Purlie and Raisin came first), but it was the most impactful. Whitney Houston sang “Home” for her first TV appearance; Beyonce alluded to the musical in her Coachella concert. Performers in the current tour and leading local Black artists recall the joy and power that their experiences with The Wiz brought.

Elijah Lewis

Elijah Lewis, Scarecrow, U.S. Tour

“On the 50th anniversary of this piece, it’s great just to be able to step into these shoes and to tell the story,” Lewis says. “The Wiz was my first introduction to musical theater and the role that I played was Scarecrow in my eighth-grade production. It is the American story of believing in yourself and knowing that whatever we go through in life, we are able to conquer.”

The song of an actress and a music producer, and the nephew of Kool and the Gang’s J.T. Taylor, Lewis began performing at the age of 7, much like the singer who played Scarecrow in the movie, Michael Jackson.

“Coming behind Michael, who was an amazing, amazing icon” is a thrill for Lewis. “All of these people were amazing models for me to follow in my career.”

Lewis also grew up in Harlem, where Dorothy’s home was transposed for the film. Rural Kansas became urban New York, with streets full of life.

“The great thing about The Wiz is that it can be shaped and loaded into any adaptation as needed,” Lewis says. “It’s such an American story.”

JaQuel Knight

JaQuel Knight, choreographer, Broadway revival

Knight has had plenty of moments in the spotlight, from choreographing Beyonce’s 2009 hit “Single Ladies” to multiple awards shows and Super Bowls. Still, he says, “Getting the call to be a part of The Wiz was probably more special than any other job because it was such a strong part of my childhood.”

For a young Black artist, the show’s impact was particularly powerful. “The meaning of seeing yourself on screen and stage is invaluable; there’s no other feeling like that,” he says. “Knowing you have a place in this industry, that there’s space and room for you was such a big part of my upbringing in understanding art, dance, and movement. Seeing The Wiz and falling in love with it inspired who I’ve become today and has allowed me to freely express my upbringing and where I’m from.”

Cleo Parker Robinson

Cleo Parker Robinson, founder, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Cleo Parker Robinson had well-established her Denver-based dance company by the time she saw the original Broadway cast of The Wiz.

“It was sort of like a radical cultural thing that took place for an all-Black cast to do The Wizard of Oz,” she says. “We were so inspired by it.”

She recalls going backstage after the show and speaking with the original Dorothy, Stephanie Mills, and legendary performer Lena Horne. “What I loved about being backstage is I realized they lived this piece, because they had done it for a couple of years. It was more than magical. It had such an impact on my life,” she says.

Robinson choreographed numbers from The Wiz for local performances with Shadow Theatre founder Jeffrey Nickelson playing the title role. Her son, Malik (now CEO of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance), was just in kindergarten and asked to be in the show.

“I said, ‘Malik, this is not for children. There are no children in the show,’” she says. “Well, he managed to get his own audition in the show, and we had a few little ones in there. I think he invited his whole kindergarten class.”

Later, Robinson took the show into the schools. She remembers the particular power of the gospel-influenced song “A Brand New Day,” written for the musical by Luther Vandross. “We were coming out of the ’60s and coming out of some real turmoil in our communities, and I think that was like a theme song, that things are going to be brighter.”

Mary Louise Lee

Mary Louise Lee, actor and singer

Denver native Mary Louise Lee has spent her life performing in area theaters including the Aurora Fox, the Arvada Center, and Vintage Theatre, as well as with the Mary Louise Lee Band. She played Glinda in The Wiz for Afterthought Theatre, now Vintage.

“I remember as a little girl, we would be in the basement, and that was when your basement was mirror-cork, mirror-cork,” she says with a laugh. “My sister and I would be in those mirrors just singing away to the soundtrack of The Wiz. The very first time I saw The Wiz in the movie theater, I was absolutely awed. I loved seeing people who looked like me on the screen.”

As a child, her mother took her to see the show onstage, and Lee remembers the impact of that show, combined with Dreamgirls.

“I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz, but to see a production like The Wiz just gave a whole new meaning to a little Black girl. I would just use my hand, pretending like that was me up onstage, and just singing those songs of joy and hope and love. It was amazing.”

Today, Lee frequently performs “Home” and “Ease on Down the Road” with her band. Her most frequent choice to perform is the song “Believe in Yourself.”

“It has such a powerful meaning for everybody,” she says. “You’ve got to believe in yourself and know that you can do anything you set your mind to. That’s what Lena Horne (as Glinda on Broadway) was telling Dorothy.” 

Betty Hart

Betty Hart, actor, director and co-artistic director of Local Theatre Company

Betty Hart was never attached to The Wizard of Oz.

“It’s just that story never resonated with me,” she says. “I grew up in Miami, we had orange groves, but farms? I don’t really know what farm life is, and who knows if I ever will?”

Seeing The Wiz as a teen was a different story. “Something about The Wiz caused me to lean in in a way that The Wizard of Oz caused me to lean back,” she says. “The movie aspect of The Wiz is one of the touchstones as a teen to be able to look up and see incredible Black artists performing with passion and heart and humor. It was a further confirmation that I wasn’t crazy for wanting to do it.”

The magnitude of the stars populating the screen further swayed her.

“There was just something about those celebrities, that even to this day, they are iconic in their own right. Diana Ross, amazing, gorgeous, celebrated as being beautiful, which still had not been the norm for Black women. Nipsey Russell, who apparently was a big comedian, but apparently his comedy was pretty blue, and I wasn’t allowed to watch it. But Diana for sure, and Michael Jackson, for sure, because they were at the height of stardom,” Hart says.

“To see them I think is an affirmation of what Black artists and all artists are seeking. You want to be perceived as artists, and you want to be perceived as the best, and they all were. You think, I can be a part of that.”

DETAILS
The Wiz
Apr 8 – 26, 2025 • Buell Theatre
Tickets