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The Wiz Live!
''The Wiz Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on NBC on December 3, 2015. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, it was a performance of a new adaptation of the 1975 Broadway musical '' The Wiz'', a soul/ R&B reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. The broadcast was performed live from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York. This adaptation of the musical combined aspects of both the Broadway play and its 1978 film adaptation. Cast and characters Main * Shanice Williams as Dorothy Gale * Elijah Kelley as the Scarecrow / Sticks the Farmhand Man #3 * Ne-Yo as the Tin-Man / John the Farmhand Man #1 * David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion / Robert the Farmhand Man #2 * Mary J. Blige as Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West * Queen Latifah as the Wiz * Amber Riley as Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North * Uzo Aduba as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South * Stephanie Mills as Auntie Em / Emily Gale * Comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wiz
''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) in the context of contemporary African-American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974, at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, and moved to Broadway's Majestic Theatre with a new cast on January 5, 1975. The 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was an early example of Broadway's mainstream acceptance of works with an all-Black cast. It has had revivals in New York, London, San Diego, and the Netherlands, and a limited-run revival was presented by Encores! at New York City Center in June 2009. A big-budget film adaptation of the same name was released in 1978, with Ted Ross and Mabel King reprising their stage roles. '' The Wiz Live!'', a television production of the stage musical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harold Wheeler (musician)
William Harold Wheeler Jr. (born July 14, 1943), is an American orchestrator, composer, conductor, arranger, record producer, and music director. He has received numerous Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations for orchestration, and won the 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for '' Hairspray''. Career Wheeler first worked in the 1960s as the musical director (MD) for Burt Bacharach making him the first African-American MD of a major pop act. He also was doing arranging for Tony Orlando and Nina Simone during that time. He was named Music Conductor for the 76th Academy Awards, becoming only the second African-American conductor in the academy's history. He also was a music arranger on the 79th Academy Awards. Wheeler was one of two conductors (the others being fellow composers John Williams and Paul Shaffer) during the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Wheeler was the musical director on the ABC Network show, ''Dancing with the Stars'' for th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bethpage, New York
Bethpage (formerly known as Central Park) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 16,658 at the 2020 United States census. History The name ''Bethpage'' comes from the Quakers, Quaker Thomas Powell (1641–1722), Thomas Powell, who named the area after the Biblical town Bethphage, which was between Jericho and Jerusalem in the Holy Land. Present-day Bethpage was part of the 1695 Bethpage Purchase. An early name for the northern section of present-day Bethpage was ''Bedelltown'', a name that appeared on maps at least as late as 1906. On maps just before the arrival of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the name ''Bethpage'' appears for a community now included in both the post office district and school district of the ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grumman Studios
Grumman Studios is a sound stage complex in Bethpage, New York, United States, with seven sound stages and of paved outdoor space. Description The project's principal owner is Parviz Farahzad, whose production company is Lunar Module Park, LLC. The studios are in the former Apollo Lunar Module assembly plant at the massive Grumman Grumman Bethpage Airport, aircraft works and airport in Bethpage. Farahzad founded the company in 2007. The original blue Grumman landmark dome atop the facility has been repainted red for the new studio. Grumman Studios is one of two large sound stage complexes in Bethpage related to the original Grumman operation. The other is Gold Coast Studios, which has six sound stages totaling in Steel Equities Bethpage Business Park. The studio is at 500 Grumman Road West in Bethpage. Notable productions * ''The Wiz Live!'' (broadcast live on NBC from the studios on December 3, 2015.) * ''Peter Pan Live!'' (broadcast live on NBC from the studios on Dece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soul Music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body movements, are an important hallmark of soul. Other characteristics are a Call and response (music), call and response between the lead and Backing vocalist, backing vocalists, an especially tense vocal sound, and occasional Musical improvisation, improvisational additions, twirls, and auxiliary sounds. Soul music is known for reflecting African-American identity and stressing the importance of African-American culture. Soul has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues, and primarily combines elements of gospel, R&B and jazz. The genre emerged from the power struggle to increase black Americans' awareness of their African ancestry, as a newfound consciousness led to the creation of music ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hairspray Live!
''Hairspray Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on the American television network NBC on December 7, 2016. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and hosted by Darren Criss, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical ''Hairspray'', which is based on the 1988 film of the same name. Premise ''Hairspray Live!'' takes place in 1962 Baltimore. Teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on ''The Corny Collins Show'', a local TV program. When, against all odds, Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including Link, the resident dreamboat; Amber, the ambitious mean girl; Seaweed, an African-American boy she meets in detention; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, owner of a local record store. Tracy's mother is the indomitable Edna Turnblad, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-White ''Corny Collins Show''. Cast and characters MainH ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Pan Live!
''Peter Pan Live!'' is an American television special that was broadcast by NBC on December 4, 2014. The special featured a live production of the 1954 musical adaptation of '' Peter Pan'', televised from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York, starring Allison Williams in the title role and Christopher Walken as Captain Hook. The production was a follow-up to ''The Sound of Music Live!''—a similar adaptation of the 1959 play ''The Sound of Music'' which aired on NBC in December 2013 and brought the network's highest Thursday-night ratings since 2004. NBC's entertainment head Bob Greenblatt would sign Craig Zadan and Neil Meron—who served as the executive producers of the special, to produce another live musical for the 2014 holiday season. Additionally, the production served as a follow-up to three productions of ''Peter Pan'' produced for NBC in 1955, 1956, and 1960 that featured cast members from its original Broadway run. While similar in content to the original ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It is the fourth iteration of what had originated as Columbia Pictures' television studio, Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974), Screen Gems. History Sony Pictures Television's history goes back to 1947, when Ralph Cohn, whose father Jack and uncle Harry Cohn, Harry co-founded Columbia Pictures, founded Pioneer Telefilms. It was bought by Columbia and renamed Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974), Screen Gems in November 1948, reincorporated as Columbia Pictures Television on May 6, 1974, and merged with sister studio TriStar Television (formed in 1986 and relaunched in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predecessor of the company, NBC Studios, previously assumed such functions, and a substantial portion of the company's shows air on the network. It was formerly known by various names, including Revue Studios, Universal Pictures Television Department, Universal-International Television, Studios USA Television LLC, Universal Studios Network Programming, Universal Network Television, Universal Domestic Television, NBC Universal Television Studio, and Universal Media Studios. It is also known as Open 4 Business Productions in copyright in certain television series produced by them since 2009. Re-established in 2004, both NBC Studios and the ori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Meron
Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the film adaptations of ''Chicago'' and ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in 2018. Meron continues to run the company. Life and career Meron, born in Brooklyn, New York, attended Samuel J. Tilden High School in the same borough and Brooklyn College, graduating in 1976. He is Jewish. He became Zadan's assistant with the duo working for Joseph Papp at the Public Theater in the 1970s. They formed the production company "Storyline Entertainment", producing films and television features.Zadan, Craig (b. 1949), and Neil Meron (b. 1955) . glbtq.com. Accessed September 8, 2009. He is openly [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craig Zadan
Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ''Hairspray''. Life and career Early life Zadan was born in Miami, Florida. He grew up in New York City, and attended Hofstra University. He wrote for '' New York'' magazine and also contributed articles to publications such as '' After Dark''. He co-produced a Broadway tribute to Stephen Sondheim, ''Sondheim: A Musical Tribute'', featuring Angela Lansbury and Alexis Smith in 1973. He wrote a book relating the "behind-the-scenes" of the musicals of composer Stephen Sondheim titled "Sondheim & Co." published in 1974, which has been updated with a subsequent edition and revisions until 1990. Meron invited Zadan to speak at a lecture series at Brooklyn College, and they became professional partners upon Meron's 1976 graduation. They worked f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Oremus
Stephen Oremus (born 1971) is an American musician who has worked on Broadway theatre productions as musical director and as orchestrator. His credits include arranger and orchestrator for the music for ''Avenue Q'', musical director and arranger for ''Wicked'', arranger and orchestrator for ''All Shook Up'', and musical director for ''9 to 5''. His orchestrations (with Larry Hochman) for ''The Book of Mormon'' won him a Tony Award in 2011, for Best Orchestrations. Oremus also won the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for '' Kinky Boots.'' Oremus served as orchestra conductor and music director for Frozen 2 and Rufus Wainwright's 2006 Judy Garland tribute concert, which was released as the 2007 album '' Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall'' and DVD '' Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium''. In 2022, Oremus and Broadway stars Elizabeth Stanley, Nikki Renee Daniels, Jeff Kready, and Tamar Greene performed reimagined renditions of iconic songs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
