Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker are expanding business with a new venture.
According to Deadline, the entrepreneurial couple has joined the team of producers for the revival of The Wiz, where the Tony-winning musical will be reintroduced to the Broadway stage featuring new material by Amber Ruffin.
“We are thrilled to be part of The Wiz. The songs, choreography, costumes, everything about The Wiz is epic,” Burruss and Tucker said in a joint statement. “We have always said we want to help open the doors of theatre to all people. Theatre has the power to influence and inspire people to create change through art, and that is what we all need now. Art can heal and art can change you. It has changed us. So, come on and ease on down the road with us.”
Fans of the original production of The Wiz are in for a new version of the 1975 production that ran for four years on Broadway. Even better, fans who only got to see the 1978 film adaptation have a chance to see the new rendition on the Broadway stage next year as the musical will be scheduled for limited Broadway engagement in Spring 2024.
Credits for the production is boasting a hefty list of prestigious creators that include: director Schele Williams from The Notebook team; costume designer Sharen Davi, who worked on Dreamgirls; Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and Black is King choreographer JaQuel Knight; and scenic designer Hannah Beachler, who has been credited in Black Panther, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Lemonade. Music arrangements will be handled by Joseph Joubert and Allen René Louis.
The Wiz national tour is set to launch on September 23 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore. Mega fans might be aware that Baltimore is the city where the production premiered in 1974.
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