nikkimjames hashtag performance

I can’t explain why it means so much to me. I suppose everything Oz touches a special part of my inner child that first followed Judy Garland as Dorothy and her friends down the yellow brick road. 50 years ago TONIGHT at the Majestic Theatre, THE WIZ brought L. Frank Baum’s THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ to Broadway with an all-black cast, the funkiest songs by Charlie Smalls you’ve heard, of-the-moment humor from William F. Brown and just pure theater magic from director Geoffrey Holder and choreographer George Faison and their incredible team. Shout-out to the stars: #stephaniemills as Dorothy, #andredeshields as The Wiz, Hinton Battle as Scarecrow, Tiger Haynes as Tinman, Tiger Ross as Lion, #deedeebridgewater as Glinda, Mabel King as Evillene, Clarice Taylor as Addaperle and Tasha Thomas as Aunt Em. I’ve cheered on so many beautiful talents as Dorothy over these 50 years! #dianaross was my first, lighting a passion for NYC as well as Oz with the strange and beautiful film of the 70s. Then I got to see the OG stunner Mills opposite her equally brilliant De Shields in the reunion tour that played the Beacon in NYC in the 90s… And then I got to see one fresh young starlet after the next bring their personality and passion to the role, every one of them offering something special and unique: #nikkimjames at La Jolla Playhouse in 2006, #ashanti at NY City Center in 2009, #shanicelashaystyle on THE WIZ LIVE and, most recently, Broadway’s newest discovery #nichellelewis in last year’s revival. I can’t wait to keep watching THE WIZ bring Baum’s story to new audiences, just as WICKED is across the world right now. There’s truly no place like being in the audience for THE WIZ!