The hour-long special, according to NBC, gives "viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the incredible teamwork it takes to create this holiday’s highly anticipated television event, The Wiz Live!" The live production will be broadcast on NBC Dec. 3 at 8 PM ET.
The cast will be headed by Stephanie Mills as Aunt Em, Queen Latifah as The Wiz, Mary J. Blige as Evillene, David Alan Grier as The Cowardly Lion, Uzo Aduba as Glinda, Amber Riley as Addaperle, Ne-Yo as the Tin Man, Elijah Kelley as the Scarecrow, Common as Bouncer and 18-year-old newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy.
Kenny Leon is directing The Wiz, with Harvey Fierstein adapting the book for TV. This latest incarnation of The Wiz is also on track for a full-scale Broadway revival.
Stephen Oremus, who won Tonys for Best Orchestrations for his work on The Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots, serves as music director for The Wiz. Fatima Robinson ("Dreamgirls") will choreograph the production, and Harvey Mason Jr. ("Dreamgirls," "Pitch Perfect 2") will serve as music producer.
The musical, according to NBC, is described as such: "Dorothy, a young woman from Kansas, is swept up in a tornado and relocated to a fantasy world that is inhabited by munchkins, good and bad witches, and, of course, flying monkeys. She eventually takes a path down a yellow brick road to find a wizard who can help her go home and along the way meets a scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion, who all learn to help one another."
Get to Know the Cast of The Wiz Live! (So Far) With Our Favorite Pictures and Videos
