THE WIZ (1978)
Description

Premiering on Broadway in 1975, The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and became a mainstream breakthrough for productions with all-Black casts on Broadway. By the late 70’s, Motown mastermind Berry Gordy would attempt to adapt the musical for the silver screen, bringing together a generational collection of talent including legends Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor.
Lonely schoolteacher Dorothy Gale rarely leaves her neighborhood of Harlem, but soon finds herself in the fantastical land of Oz. With the help of a dancing scarecrow, a Coney Island Tin Man and one mean ole’ lion, the timid Dorothy finds her voice and a 70’s new age sense of self worth in this box office failure turned cult classic. It’s 1978’s THE WIZ!
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