Just when we thought the cast of NBC’s “The Wiz” couldn’t get more awesome, rumor has it that a certain queen bee, Beyoncé, has been offered a major role in the 2016/2017 reboot.
According to the rumor mill, Bey has been offered the role of Glinda the Good Witch. And she’ll be filling some impressive shoes. When The Wiz first debuted on Broadway in 1975, Glinda was played by Grammy-winning jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, while the legendary and Grammy-winning Lena Horne took on the role in the 1978 cult classic. With a history like that, Beyoncé’s 20 Grammy awards (and status as the most nominated woman in Grammy history) would fit right in.
But that’s not all — “Orange Is the New Black” star Uzo Aduba is also being eyed for the role (assuming Bey turns it down). Aduba may not have a Grammy, but she’s got an incredible voice and larger-than-life personality, perfect for the Broadway-style stage. Prior to landing a role as Crazy Eyes on Netflix’s acclaimed prison dramedy, the 34-year-old starred on Broadway in the revival of Godspell from 2011 to 2012. In other words, she may already have this in the bag.
As previously reported, Queen Latifah has already signed on the dotted line to take on the iconic role of the Wiz, aka the mysterious and most powerful wizard who holds the keys to the Emerald City, but whose metamorphosis from ordinary to extraordinary is itself a hoax. She rose to her lofty position after being transported by accident to Oz in a hot air balloon during a snowstorm.
Meanwhile, powerhouse singer Mary J. Blige will take on the role of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West and ruler of the Winkies and the Winged Monkeys. She captures Dorothy and her friends to avenge the unintentional murder of her evil sister, Evvamean, and to get back the powerful silver slippers given to Dorothy by the Good Witch of the North.
The Wiz is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with tunes by Charlie Smalls and a book from Brown. The show debuted in 1975 and won seven Tonys. The musical follows the story of The Wizard of Oz, but with an “African American/multicultural twist,” NBC said in a release. Michael Jackson and Diana Ross starred alongside Lena Horne in the 1978 cult classic with the reboot set to air on NBC on Thursday, Dec. 3. Now, if this doesn’t excite you, we don’t know what will! Will you be watching?
