Comic Amber Ruffin, who penned the revised book for Broadway's current revival of The Wiz at the Marquis Theatre, dropped by her usual gig Late Night With Seth Meyers April 1 to talk about her latest Broadway outing (she also co-wrote the book to last season's Some Like It Hot with Matthew López).
As Ruffin is known for her stand-up and sketch performances in addition to her writing, Meyers wanted to know how she feels remaining behind the scenes. "Oh, I'm performing—in the audience," she jokes. She goes on to share that the cast—which includes Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, and newcomer Nichelle Lewis—has her in such awe that it makes her uncharacteristically quiet. "To sit in the audience where those people melt your face every night... they're simply the best singers on the planet, and it makes listening to the radio hard. They are so good at singing, so I'm pretty quiet nowadays."
Watch Ruffin's full interview above.
READ: Nichelle Lewis' The Wiz Journey Started With a TikTok Video
Schele Williams (who's also overseeing The Notebook with Michael Greif) is at the helm of the new revival, with choreography by JaQuel Knight.
Lewis stars as Dorothy, joined by Brady as The Wiz, Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman (A Strange Loop) as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson (Sharper) as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson (The Voice) as the Scarecrow.
The cast also includes Allyson Kaye Daniel as Addaperle, Anthony Murphy as Lord High Underling, and an ensemble comprising Maya Bowles, Shayla Caldwell, Jay Copeland, Collin Heyward, Judith Franklin, Amber Jackson, Olivia Jackson, Christina Jones, Cristina Raé, Polanco Jones, Jr., Kolby Kindle, Kareem Marsh, Avilon Trust Tate, and Keenan D. Washington. Alan Mingo, Jr. is the standby for The Wiz, and the company is rounded out by swings Lauryn Adams, Michael Samarie George, Mariah Lyttle, Dustin Praylow, Matthew Sims, Jr., and Timothy Wilson.
The Wiz, featuring a score by Charlie Smalls and a book by William F. Brown, premiered on Broadway in 1975, transforming L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel into an all-Black "super soul musical," as it was originally billed. The musical made the jump to the big screen in 1978 with a film adaptation starring Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Michael Jackson, and, reprising his Broadway performance as the Cowardly Lion, Ted Ross.
WATCH: Deborah Cox Sings 'Believe in Yourself' from The Wiz on Tamron Hall
Visit WizMusical.com.
