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Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Wiz will return with a new national tour and a Broadway revival. The popular musical will have an "entirely reimagined revival" directed by Schele Williams and featuring additional material by comedian and television personality Amber Ruffin.
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The Wiz will launch a national tour in fall 2023 in Baltimore, Md., where the original musical premiered in 1974.
The revival will have a limited engagement on Broadway beginning in spring 2024.
The Wiz features a book by William F. Brown and a score by Charlie Smalls. The new production will be choreographed by Jaquel Knight, with Joseph Joubert to handle music supervision, orchestrations and music arrangements.
"I wouldn't be on Broadway if it wasn't for The Wiz," Williams said in a statement. "The music, the costumes, the choreography and Stephanie Mills! Seeing that show changed my life. It is, in every way, a celebration of Black excellence. I am honored to helm this production and I can't think of a better time to tell this story."
The Wiz is a reimagining of the L. Frank Baum novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an all-Black cast. The musical was adapted as a 1978 film starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne and Mabel King.
"The Wiz is a beloved, joyous and fantastic musical celebrating Black excellence," producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland sand Ambassador Theatre Group said in a statement. "Inspired by the original visions of Geoffrey Holder and George Faison, we are honored to give way to a new generation of Black artists who love this show as much as we do. We are thrilled to now bring The Wiz to theatergoers around the U.S. and on Broadway."
