LOS ANGELES — “The Wiz” is coming to TV and back to Broadway with productions from NBC and Cirque du Soleil.
NBC said Monday it will air a Dec. 3 live production of the hit 1970s stage reinvention of “The Wizard of Oz.” Its partner on the TV version will be Cirque du Soleil’s new stage theatrical division, which will then present “The Wiz” on Broadway for the 2016-17 season.
Live musicals are becoming an NBC holiday month tradition: The network scored nearly 19 million viewers for “The Sound of Music” starring Carrie Underwood in December 2013, although less than half that number tuned in for last year’s “Peter Pan Live!”
Tony-Award-winning director Kenny Leon (“A Raisin in the Sun”) will stage the TV production and Broadway revival of “The Wiz” in collaboration with fellow Tony winner Harvey Fierstein (“Torch Song Trilogy,” “Hairspray”), who’s to contribute new material.
Casting for the TV and stage versions wasn’t announced.
