NBC RELEASES "THE WIZ ART WORK"

The cast is set for NBC’s ambitious live reproduction of the urban remake of the classic Wizard of Oz musical.

Yesterday, NBC released art for The Wiz featuring lead cast members Shanice Williams (Dorothy), David Alan Grier (the Cowardly Lion), Ne-Yo (the Tin Man) and Elijah Kelley (the Scarecrow).

Queen Latifah plays the Wiz — a role traditionally played by men. Others cast in key roles include R&B singer Mary J. Blige (Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West); Uzo Aduba as Glinda, the Good Witch; Amber Riley as Addapearle; Stephanie Mills as Auntie Em; and rapper Common as the Bouncer.

As a teenager Mills, 58, played Dorothy in the long-running Broadway stage play The Wiz.
The Wiz airs on NBC on Dec. 3.