BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!! THE WIZ
With music by Charles M. Smalls and book by William F. Brown is directed by Roumel Reaux. The Wiz is based on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, and is one of Broadway's most popular contemporary musicals.
Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc. will present THE WIZ July 21-22 at the Stage Aurora Performance Hall. THE WIZ will be directed by Roumel Reaux (a member of the original Broadway production) and Artistic Associate of Stage Aurora Theatrical Company. Jason Alexander will serve as Musical Director and Choreography by Prince Rod. Darryl Reuben Hall (Founder of Stage Aurora) will play The Wiz.
The Broadway musical opened in January 1975 with Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Hinton Battle as Scarecrow, Tiger Haynes as Tin Man, Ted Ross as Lion, Dee Dee Bridgewater as Glinda the Good Witch, André DeShields as the Wiz and Mabel King as Evillene the Wicked Witch of the West. The production was directed by Geoffrey Holder and choreographed by George Faison. The Wiz opened at the Majestic Theatre and later moved to the Broadway Theatre. It ran for four years and over 1600 performances, and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The most popular song from the production was "Ease on Down the Road", sung by the characters as they dance down the Yellow Brick Road.
The totally hip version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, this Tony Award-winning Best Musical, has a jazzy rock score, colorful, eye-popping visual spectacle, and dialogue that brings this fairy tale down to earth for modern audiences. Audiences tap their toes, snap their fingers, and hum along with such favorite songs as "Ease on Down the Road," "Slide Some Oil to Me," "Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News," and "If You Believe."
"Radiates so much energy you can hardly sit in your seat . . . great fun."-- N.Y. Post.
"A continuous festival of movement ... splendid character songs."-- WWD.
"A carnival of fun ... wickedly amusing show."-- Time.
"A virtual musical circus... driving rhythms, soaring songs ... boisterous, exuberant."-- WABC TV.
Saturdays, July, 21, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m.
Sundays, July 22, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.
Stage Aurora Performance Hall 5188 Norwood Avenue
Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc., theatre that enlightens, was founded by Darryl Reuben Hall to bring the professional performing arts to the Northside of Jacksonville, FL. To date, Stage Aurora has produced such shows as:
Miss Evers’ Boys, Mama, I Want to Sing, Black To My Roots, Mahalia, Black Nativity, Crowns, and Children’s productions of Cinderella, Grease, and Disney’s High School Musical.
Tickets may be purchased at the following locations or buy online at www.stageaurora.org
Advance -$15; Door /$25 Seniors (65 and over) -$15 (With I. D.)
Students -$15 (With I. D.)
The Wiz is sponsored in part by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, City of Jacksonville, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Restrictions
Please have proper picture I.D. readily available at the box office. Students must show proof of current enrollment.