For Charlotte native starring in THE WIZ, there really is no place like home!
Oct 31, 2023 / Blog
An all-new production of the Tony Award-winning musical THE WIZ is headed for Broadway’s Marquis Theatre in March. But first, it’ll play the Belk Theater in Charlotte.
Launched in September in Baltimore – where the original premiered 50 years ago – the updated WIZ, now touring nationally, isn’t based on the beloved 1939 movie but on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Like the original – which won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical – it has an African-American cast and hip-hop vibe.
“Going home” is a major theme of every version of The Wizard of Oz. And that theme has particular resonance for the actor playing the Tinman. Phillip Johnson Richardson, now on his first national tour, is a Northwest School of the Arts alum.
After graduating from Northwest (where he studied with legendary, Tony Award-winning theater educator Corey Mitchell), he studied musical theater at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. His first job out of school was with the Chicago company of Hamilton. He was in the ensemble and an understudy for the title role, which he got to play frequently.
(Phillip Johnson Richardson)
The new WIZ is directed by Schele Williams (The Notebook, revival of Disney’s Aida) with a book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and choreography by JaQuel Knight (Beyonce’s Single Ladies). The show’s creators have kept the essence of The Wizard intact while changing some details.
“In the original, Stephanie Mills (as Dorothy) was basically a kid and everyone else was a lot older,” Richardson said. “The Lion, Scarecrow and Tinman were more like her uncles. Now, we’re her peers. We feel more like friends of hers.”
The journey home
The cast has talked in depth about the journey the four main characters make. “We’ve worked hard at creating a bond … because our friendship is a big part of the show,” Richardson said.
In the new version, some characters have backstories they didn’t have before: The Wicked Witch stole the Tinman’s heart. And the Cowardly Lion’s family has been sold to a zoo.
But plenty remains the same. The opening scene in Kansas is in black and white – just as it was in the movie – before the set and costumes become magically multicolored once Dorothy and pals hit Oz.
Judy Garland was already well-known – mostly for her movies with Mickey Rooney – before Oz made her an even bigger star. Nichelle Lewis (Dorothy in the new production) was less known – although she’s a TikTok star and was on American Idol in 2022 – when she beat over 2,000 hopefuls to win the role. And she’s earning rave reviews.
The score is jam-packed with soul, gospel, rock, funk. (“All the original songs are there, but there are new orchestrations,” Richardson said.) Of Ease on Down the Road – his favorite song in the show, he said, “The arrangement is just so good. And all four of us are singing. It gets the audience every single time.”
(Pre Broadway Production of THE WIZ, featuring Melody Betts as Evillene in "Don't Nobody BRing Me No Bad News." Photo by Jeremy Daniel, (c) 2023)
Dance numbers borrow from ballet, jazz and, of course, hip-hop. The Tinman (played by Nipsey Russell in the original) can break dance – once he’s been lubricated, that is.
That scene gives Richardson the opportunity to shine in the exuberant solo, Slide Some Oil to Me. (“Let it slip down my sides/Laying there in one position sho’ done make me tired … C’mon, metatarsals, don’t fail me now!”)
To prepare for his role, Richardson studied. “I was in my script all the time,” he said.
The Belk Theater isn’t the only stage he’ll grace while he’s in Charlotte. "Phil. n' Friends" (which includes a classmate from Northwest and a college friend originally from Greensboro) will play the Evening Muse on Nov. 10 at 10:30 p.m. “I’ve been wanting to perform my original music in my hometown for years,” Richardson said.
“The Muse is such an important venue in Charlotte,” he added. “As a kid, I’d pass it all the time and dream about performing there. I’ve done a lot of stuff in New York. I’ve done a lot of stuff in Chicago. I’ve done some TV.” (Catch him on Apple TV+ in the 2023 thriller Sharper starring Julianne Moore and John Lithgow.)
“But this will be my first time doing a show of my own music in my hometown. I’m so excited about that.”
Article by Page Leggett
