The Broadway production of “The Wiz” lands in Norfolk next Tuesday, dropping Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion at Chrysler Hall for a five-day run.
It features a score reworked by writer and comedian Amber Ruffin ("Late Night with Seth Meyers"), with tunes such as “Ease on Down the Road” and “Be a Lion” reimagined for a new generation. Fifty years after "The Wiz" first debuted on Broadway, its sound is a little different, but the story carries the same messages of bravery and self-love, said Elijah Ahmad Lewis, who plays the Scarecrow.
“We pay homage to the classic and what was written, we just spice it up a little bit,” Lewis said, regarding “Ease on Down the Road.” “You have to come to the show to hear the arrangements — I don’t want to give too much away.”
The score of the original “Wiz” was written by Charlie Smalls; the cast included Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, André De Shields as the Wiz and Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion. It won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
A movie version, with Quincy Jones as the music supervisor, premiered in 1978, starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. While it was a box office flop, it remained culturally significant within the Black community.
Jackson’s portrayal of the Scarecrow is still widely referenced, but Lewis said he researched every Scarecrow in the production's history and solidified his stamp on this version.
“The great thing about 'The Wiz' is you have to put yourself into it to discover the characters because they aren’t human,” Lewis said. “So, everyone has their own iteration, but I did take something from each Scarecrow and put it in my show.”
Joseph Joubert, music supervisor of orchestrations and music arrangements, and Allen René Louis, in charge of vocal and music arrangements, envisioned new harmonies. The song “Be a Lion” was originally a duet between Dorothy and Lion. It has become a quartet in this production. The arrangements reflect the unity of the characters as they journey to the Emerald City together.
“Celebrating 50 years of this classic, we went blackity, Black, Black with this one," Lewis said, joking about Black culture. "I pay full homage ... we wanted to make a capsule of it in a new inventive way.”
Lewis enjoys roles in culturally significant works. He's portrayed Stevie Wonder in “Motown: The Musical,” the Minister of Music in “Mama I Want to Sing” and David Ruffin in “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations.” A lot of people imitate the characters, said Lewis, but he wants to embody each role.
“Playing Stevie, I wanted to play him with the honesty and sincerity of who he was. I did my research, so I wanted to play the truth of what I discovered.”
Lewis had contacts with the music industry early in life. He grew up singing gospel in a Newark, New Jersey church and Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston's mother, was his voice teacher. He also learned about the pitfalls of the music industry through his uncle, JT Taylor, the leading voice of the 1970s R&B group Kool & the Gang. Lewis realized he had an advantage in an industry where most aspiring artists make their biggest mistakes in the spotlight.
“My most valuable lesson is to be kind to everyone you meet,” Lewis said. “In this industry, you never know who someone is going to become.”
Bringing characters such as the Scarecrow to life is part of his mission as an actor and musician. The same message in “The Wiz” is what he imparts to young adults as co-music director for the "Gospel for Teens" program and "Sing Harlem" in New York. Lewis said he wants the teens he mentors to know that, like the Scarecrow, everything you need is already inside of you.
“A lot of people think Scarecrow is dumb or aloof, but he’s a scientist. He’s the smartest of them all,” Lewis said. “Scarecrow had to be reminded that he had a brain and he had the power.”
Visit sevenvenues.com for tickets and more information.