The classic musical ‘The Wiz’ will make its second stop on the show’s Pre-Broadway tour at Playhouse Square, with performances beginning October 3 and running through October 22.
The new production is currently in rehearsals and will soon embark on a 13-city national tour before setting up shop in New York City in Spring 2024.
Adapted from the 1974 film that starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Richard Pryor, and loosely based on the story of the 1939 classic film, ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ The Tony Award-winning musical is making its return to the stage for the first time in 40 years!
Producers Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, and Ambassador Theatre Group present a dynamite infusion of ballet, jazz, and modern pop, bringing a whole new groove to ease down the road!
CleveRock caught up with the actor who plays Lion, Kyle Ramar Freeman ahead of the tour to discuss the show! The Miami, Florida native is performing in his third national touring production.
For those unfamiliar with the show, Kyle describes ‘The Wiz’ and what audience members can expect from the show.
“It’s a take on ‘The Wizard of Oz’; the original from the 1930s. The story is pretty much the same but with some blackness coded into it,” he explains. “You find Dorothy, this young girl who has lost important people in her life and she feels like she doesn’t belong. She feels like wherever she is, she doesn’t feel at home and she doesn’t believe in herself, and she’s just in a really rough spot as a young kid. Of course, this tornado comes and it takes her to the land of Oz, and she goes on this journey to discover who she really is and what she’s made of. Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion, and she finds these friends who are all in desperate need of something to survive this life. They rally together and they go and they try to go see The Wiz, this person who has been said that he will give them anything that they need; anything they want.”
“They find each other and then go find The Wiz,” he continued. “Of course, things may not turn out the way they thought they would, but more importantly, her journey is so important because I think she realizes in the end, that everything that she ever needed was always already inside of her. That’s why it’s timeless. Sometimes you need to get friends around you to take you to the place that you need to go to. Sometimes you realize that everything that you needed, it was already inside of you. The courage, the brain; the heart that you need to go through life was already inside of you. It just takes a little bit of courage to find it. That’s pretty much the story. Of course, it’s amazing music with “Ease On Down the Road.” My song, ‘Mean Ole Lion’; that’s a favorite. It’s coded with blackness and beauty and magic, but similarly the same story.”
The 29-year-old wasn’t even born the last time a major production of ‘The Wiz’ was onstage, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t familiar with the show!
“I grew up with the movie. I grew up listening to the original Broadway soundtrack. It’s always been a part of my life,” he explained. “The Lion was the first role that I ever played in a musical when I was a kid. It wasn’t in ‘The Wiz’; it was in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ It’s kind of like full circle that I get to come back to it as a professional and then be in the revival version of the show that hasn’t been on Broadway in 40 years. It’s just really beautifully come together for me. I’m very excited about that.”
Like many folks, Kyle is perplexed about why the show has been shelved for so long.
“I’ve lived in New York for 11 years, so ever since I’ve been there, they’ve always talked about it coming back,” he said. “I auditioned and I was thinking, hopefully, it’ll actually be a show for real. When I got the role and got the script and started coming to rehearsals, it became more and more real to me. I feel honored. I’m happy to be a part of the legacy, so richly important to black people in theater and just in theater in general. It’s just a beautiful, timeless piece, and I’m happy to be a part of that lineage.”
The role of Lion, in addition to being the first role he played as a youngster, was very attractive to Kyle when he decided to audition.
“He’s such a fun character to play. He is a big scaredy cat, literally! He’s a goofball. As an actor, yes, the serious stuff is fun, but when you can be goofy and silly and let loose, you can find great things to do while playing that role. That’s what really attracted me to Lion,” he said. “The fact that I get to come into this space and kind of celebrate Black Joy, even in the midst of me playing somebody that’s predominantly always scared, it’s still a fun thing to do. And then outside of the Lion, it’s the music. To be able to hear that music every night is going to be the biggest payoff for me. ‘Believe In Yourself’ is one of my favorite musical theater songs. The music is what also made me want to do it.”
Music makes a musical. Sometimes the other aspects of the show get lost in the shuffle. Great costumes, stellar choreography, intriguing light design, or an elaborate set can often be overshadowed by a show’s music. Kyle was asked what to be on the look for besides the music when ‘The Wiz’ comes to town next month.
“I think one of the best things is the detail in just our set and in our hair. This is a black show, so there are a lot of beautiful black hairstyles that happen all throughout the show that I would love the audience to pay attention to because it’s beautifully done and constructed,” he said. “It also means something for that type of hairstyle and a hair technique to be shown on a stage. That is important. Also, the details in our set, kind of nod to blackness as far as our ancestors and also hairstyles and also ways of just existing that black people know about. Pay attention to the set details. Pay attention to our hair. Pay attention to how we tell the story as if it’s in a storybook. That’s what kind of makes it beautiful. It’s kind of like turning the page and even though everybody kind of knows the story, you still feel like you don’t know what’s coming. Pay attention to how we even tell the story and how it moves. It kind of feels like a children’s book for adults and it’s beautifully done along with the set.” And again, with the hair and the set details, it’s beautiful.”
The Wiz was one of the first musical productions to feature a primarily African American cast. Prior to this show, Caucasians made up a HUGE percentage of stage performers. For people in minority groups hoping to make their Broadway, there were very few inspirations of actors/actresses who they could look up to and say, “I want that role.” Progress has been made (although perhaps not enough), but the 70s were a much different time in this regard.
“I’m excited to be a part of something that when kids come and see it, it’ll be something that they will remember and hopefully will spark creativity in their life. Whether that’s being involved in the arts or just delving into whatever they find that they love, I’m happy to be a part of that memory for them,” Kyle said. “Just like [‘The Wiz’ motion picture actor] Ted Ross was a part of that memory for me, just seeing a fat black person be in a movie and make me fall in love with him, it was just like I needed to see that. I’m happy to be there for other people. I’m happy to be a part of, just like I said, the legacy, because I think once you see ‘The Wiz,’ you’ll never forget it. And, with our show that we have, that we have redone, it’s definitely going to leave an imprint and musical theater. I’m happy to be a part of that. I’m happy for black kids to see it to themselves on stage and for them to see black people in a fantasy world where all things are possible. There’s magic. There’s all types of things. And, to see black bodies doing that, it’s also important. I’m excited for them to see, and hopefully, people will be inspired for years to come.“
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