Get a first look at “The Wiz Live!” cast in their costumes.
NBC’s next live production will be an updated version of the hit Broadway musical, “The Wiz” and People is offering us a first look at the cast in their costumes before it airs on December 3.
Newcomer Shanice Williams will play Dorothy, Ne-Yo is the Tin Man, David Alan Grier is the Cowardly Lion, and Elijah Kelly as the Scarecrow.
Tony-nominated costume designer Paul Tazewell gives People the scoop on the cast’s updated costumes saying, “It’s the edgiest of high-fashion from now but in the world of the Emerald City.”
“It’s greatly influenced by where we start: a contemporary Kansas,” says Tazewell. “Dorothy is dressed as a modern teenager.”
“He is a woodsman translated into the world of tin,” says Tazewell. “It’s much more literal to work clothing than it is created out of a patchwork of metal. And it’s topped off with a tree-worker’s metal hat.”
“We see him as a real lion,” says Tazewell. “His updated look is a mane that is made out of dreads and a vest that is styled in a more contemporary way.”
“He’s a fashion-forward scarecrow,” says Tazewell. “His suit is something you would find at a secondhand store but when he embodies it, becomes much more hip – reminiscent of Basquiat character.”
**UPDATED**
Entertainment Weekly has released the first photos of Uzo Aduba as Glinda the Good Witch, Queen Latifah as The Wiz, and Common as Bouncer, the Emerald City gatekeeper.
These costumes are fantastic! I can’t wait to see Amber Riley‘s costumes.
Will you be watching “The Wiz Live!” on December 3?
