How old was Diana Ross in The Wiz?
Many considered Diana Ross to old to play Dorothy, at 34, and Mills was 21. Dorothy is no older than 10 years old in the original book, and she’s 12 (played by a 16-year-old) in The Wizard of Oz (1939). For Diana Ross, Dorothy’s age was adjusted to 24.
Who was in the original Broadway cast of The Wiz?
André De Shields
The original production starred Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Tiger Haynes as the Tinman, Ted Ross as the Lion, Hinton Battle as the Scarecrow, Clarice Taylor as Addaperle, Mabel King as Evillene, André De Shields as the Wiz, and Dee Dee Bridgewateer as Glinda alongside Tasha Thomas, Phylicia Ayers-Allen, Leettie Battle.
Who is still alive from the Wiz?
leaves Diana Ross as the sole surviving principal cast member of “The Wiz,” Motown’s film version of the Broadway production — itself a re-telling of the L. Frank Baum novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” (Though not a main cast member, Stanley Greene, who played Uncle Henry, is still living.)
How old was Michael Jackson when he made the Wiz?
20 years of age
Michael portrayed the Scarecrow in the 1978 movie version of The Wiz. He was 20 years of age when he portrayed the scarecrow.
Was The Wiz a flop?
Box office. The Wiz proved to be a commercial failure, as the $24 million production only earned $13.6 million at the box office.
How much money did it cost to make The Wiz?
24 million USD
The Wiz/Budget
Instead The Wiz became a legendary box-office bomb. With a then-extraordinary budget of $24 million — a LIFE magazine headline called it the “Most Expensive Musical Ever” — it grossed $21 million at theatres in the U.S. and Canada.
Can you name the actor who enjoyed a cameo role in the film as Glinda the Good?
Lena Horne, mother-in-law to Lumet during the time of production, was cast as Glinda the Good Witch, and comedian Richard Pryor portrayed The Wiz.
What Broadway musical has made the most money?
‘Jersey Boys’ Total Gross: $558.42 million.
Was the Wiz a flop?
What did it cost to make the Wiz?
The Wiz/Budget
What happened to Nobody Beats the Wiz?
In 1998, after having expanded from roughly 20 stores to over 80 stores in less than a year, the chain filed for bankruptcy and was purchased by Cablevision for $80 million. Cablevision eventually dropped the “Nobody Beats the Wiz” slogan.
Is The Wiz blaxploitation?
Once (and sometimes still) viewed as a prime example of late-70s excess and credited as the death knell of the once thriving blaxploitation film genre, The Wiz, in recent years, has found new life as a black cult classic. This is due in part to its fabulously eclectic cast of African-American heavyweights.