Director Schele Williams talks about respiratory new, “unabashedly black” life into the Broadway classic “The Wiz.”

I promise: you will not miss Toto. Outstanding New Broadway Revival”Wizard”, as director Schele Williams said, “it feels like we are hugging you.” A treasured history of Black America from the 1978 film version starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, itself inspired by on Broadway in 1975 hit starring Stephanie Mills and directed by Geoffrey Holder, the stage version of “The Wiz” transforms L. Frank Baum’s children’s classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (and its acclaimed 1939 film adaptation) into an Afrofuturistic fantasy that transcends generations in its lessons in self-confidence, facing fears and taking risks. Starring Wayne Brady (as the Wizard), Deborah Cox (as “The Good Witch” Glinda) and influential newcomer Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, this latest adaptation is electrifying.

Wiza’s stellar creative team includes Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler (both “Black Panther”), choreographer JaQuel Knight (known for Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on)”), costume designer Sharen Davis (“Ray,” “Dreamgirls”) and Oscar-winning wig designer Mia Neal – suggest that there is a wizard-like leader behind it all, and that leader is theater director Schele Williams.

The director of “The Notebook” on Broadway and former co-director of “Motown: The Musical,” Williams saw the original version of “The Wiz” at age 7. TheGrio spoke with her over the phone from Long Island, just before her death, on a well-deserved vacation where she discussed the Blackness-Blackness of her vision for “The Wiz,” the challenges of remixing all the previous versions of the story, and more.

Tell us in detail how you took on directorial duties for the new version of “The Wiz.”

In August 2020, I got a call offering me the opportunity to direct the series. I was surprised because I didn’t even know there was a (new) version of “The Wiz”. It was truly the most amazing conversation I’ve ever had. The first thing I said when I talked to the producers was, “I would like a couple of months,” because I really wanted to put in the effort: read the books (and) review the material. I thought, “Please send me every version of the scripts you possibly can get your hands on,” (and) I actually looked through the L. Frank Baum documentary. You know, all the stuff.

Then I came back with lots of cards; many things I moved to wherever I felt like it, these are the moments when I wanted to learn more; here are the songs that I think serve this moment in a new place; that’s what I want from “The Wiz” right now, and that’s the overall message that I think might be important for this generation – that’s a little bit different than the message that I think we needed in the ’70s. I came back with these things and said, ” This is the direction I need to take this story,” and everybody agreed.

In addition to standards comparable to “He’s the Wiz”, “Ease on Down the Road” and “Home”, there was even new music comparable to the song “Poppies” and pop. Are there plans for a soundtrack?

Oh, it’s, yes. We are recording it at the end of April. I do know they try to get it out as quickly as possible.

Was there any concern that the show can be too black for white audiences?

There were no worries. It was a mandate. I believed to myself, “This show is going to be unapologetically black.”

What was your rule of thumb when remixing previous versions of “The Wiz” and “The Wizard of Oz”?

Interviews were held with all creators. It was about where is the best time to nod to whatever piece of mental property we wish to nod to and feel like, “This is the organic place to do it.” In fact, there was no motion plan at the starting. But once we began, we thought, “Wow, this would be a great time to put a book out there; that will best serve the moment.

We knew it was very important for me to create some touchstones for whatever version of this story you knew and loved. We wanted to verify this. The starting point for “The Wiz” might have been the book; it may very well be “The Wizard of Oz”; it may very well be “The Wiz” on Broadway; it may very well be the movie “The Wiz”. We wanted to say, “We love all these versions and we love your memories of them, and we want to honor that. We also want to take you on this journey and hope you can embrace and love it too.

My favorite scene was their entrance into the No Sleep club in Emerald City – all forms of dance, from “Soul Train” vibes to Afrobeat and club music.

It was so funny because in the movie (during the Emerald City sequence) it’s obvious that “I wouldn’t be caught dead (in) red”, right? They did it with colors and fashion. We had to make fashion. But we are not a movie. You can’t snap your fingers and suddenly everything (turns) red, everything (turns) blue. Magic can happen in the cinema. In (theater) we deal with different types of magic. One of the questions we asked ourselves was: “We want to give a nod to the film at this point. How do we do it?” Then JaQuel (Knight) said, “We do it in dance. We do three different types of dance. It’s the same with dance and music. We switch. Instead of going from red to gold to green, we use three different styles of dance. It’s our nod to the film in its own way.

Narratively speaking, why connect the Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Dorothy to Evillene in a way that makes them want to take her down?

This story got here into my world in 2020, which was a difficult time because I used to be having a variety of conversations with a variety of people about the existence of Black people. And I had these conversations; that is what made me want to change into a director. Do we elevate our stories, tell them with dignity, and represent on stage the responsibility that rests with us as storytellers? Because what we represent Black people on stage leads to our streets. If we proceed to reinforce stereotypes, we are usually not helping the lives of Black people on the other side of the theater.

What I believed of the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow were all individuals who got here into Dorothy’s life, and their stories were about what had happened to them – but they didn’t include that folks loved them, that they loved someone. they belonged, that they were rooted in the community and that they were loved. I believed, “I’m not putting a black person on stage without amplifying these ideas.”

The curses that befell them were things they might overcome, and for the Scarecrow, the profession he worked for and loved was returning; Lion, his family; and the Tin Man, his family whom he loved and missed a lot. It isn’t any coincidence that the themes of excellence, care, legacy and belonging run through this show.

What is the significance of the numbers 227 and 701 in the addresses when Dorothy first crashes in New Orleans?

227 has two meanings. 227 is an angel number. It means confidence and a reminder that you simply are on the right path. This is the famous meaning of the number 227. For Black people, it’s (beloved TV show) “227.” (laughter) We built on it in two ways, which may be very funny. We have that “Maaara” moment where (the good witch) Addaperle says, “Gliiinda!” It’s 100% like “Maaary!” We are 100% sure that everybody will see it.

Glinda’s address is 701. This is Louis Armstrong’s address, 701 North Rampart Street. This was our tribute to New Orleans. Specifically, in the French Quarter in Storyville, where he played in the streets as a toddler. Now it’s Louis Armstrong Park. The arch (in the scene) is a nod to the arch in the park. And since we put it on Tremé, we wanted there to be one address where it may very well be confirmed. We very intentionally just wanted to proceed to showcase Black excellence and its impact on culture, to acknowledge our ancestors and our heritage throughout the piece. And there’s loads of it.

Miles Marshall Lewis (@MMLunlimited) is a Harlem-based author and cultural critic whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Rolling Stone, and plenty of other magazines. Lewis is currently completing a cultural biography of comedian Dave Chappelle, the sequel to Promise That You Will Sing About Me: The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar.

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