Adam Blackstone has been added to the creative team behind the pending Broadway revival of The Wiz. Deadline exclusively reported the award-winning music director has signed on as the production’s dance music arranger with his associate Terence Vaughn.
The role also reunites Blackstone with frequent collaborator and the stage-show’s chreographer JaQuel Knight. The announcement was made by producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss, and Todd Tucker.
“Joining The Wiz‘s creative team has been a very surreal moment,” explained Blackstone. “I remember watching the film on VHS daily for years, wondering how it sounded so incredible, how MJ transformed into the Scarecrow, and the score and orchestrations truly told a story all of its own.
“I get to musically partner with Terence Vaughn and reunite with my brother, super choreographer and creative director JaQuel Knight…I am excited and look forward to this body of work changing lives, just like it did for me in the ’80s.”
Knight added “With over a decade of working beside each other on some of the biggest stages in the world, I’m so honored to have him and his team by my side on this journey to Broadway. The work he does is so important to culture. To have him translate the music in my head to a joyous audio experience…grateful is an understatement!”
The Wiz is set to launch its national tour next week in Baltimore with Alan Mingo Jr. starring as the titular character. Wayne Brady takes over as The Wiz at the top of 2024 in cities including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Additional casting is as follows: Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Deborah Cox as Glinda and Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow.
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