Original The Wiz Star Stephanie Mills to Lead Cast of NBC's Live Television Production

Stephanie Mills, who received a 1975 Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance as Dorothy in The Wiz, will return home to the show when she stars as Aunt Em in NBC's live broadcast of the musical on December 3.

Tony winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun) will stage the live television production, which is based on Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown's Tony-winning stage version. Four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots) will contribute new material to Brown's book. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron serve as executive producers, with Universal Television producing. Full casting will be revealed in the coming months.

The Wiz, a retelling of L. Frank Baum's classic Wizard of Oz stories, opened on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tonys including Best Musical and Best Score. A 1978 film version starred Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. It was last seen in New York in a New York City Center Encores! Summer Stars revival in 2009, with a cast led by Ashanti, Orlando Jones, and Tony winner LaChanze.

The live television broadcast of The Wiz serves as the precursor to a Broadway revival, coproduced by Cirque du Soleil’s new stage theatrical division, in the 2016-2017 Broadway season.