Wicca, a modern pagan religion, is rooted in ancient beliefs and practices. At its core, **Wicca emphasizes reverence for nature and the celebration of the cycles of life**. Wiccans believe in the existence of multiple deities, commonly referred to as a God and a Goddess, who are seen as embodying the forces of creation and nature. This duotheistic perspective allows for the acknowledgement and worship of both masculine and feminine energies. Central to Wiccan beliefs is the concept of the interconnectedness of all things. Wiccans view the Earth as a living entity, and they strive to foster a harmonious relationship with the natural world, recognizing the inherent sacredness of all living beings.

Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige join NBC’s ‘The Wiz Live!’ as Wiz, Wicked Witch

Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige will be part of “The Wiz Live!” - the song and dance retelling of “The Wizard of Oz” slated for NBC on Dec. 3.

Like Carrie Underwood and Allison Williams before them, the Grammy-winning recording artists will be part of a live musical extravaganza. The Emmy- and Oscar-nominated “Bessie” star will play the all-powerful Wiz, and Blige will play baddie Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, the network announced Tuesday.

The African American-oriented “The Wiz” originated onstage in the 1970s, and the 1975 Broadway production went on to win seven Tony Awards, including best musical. The big-screen musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum children’s tale hit theaters in 1978 and starred Diana Ross as Dorothy and a young Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow.

NBC’s iteration will see the return of Stephanie Mills. The theater actress played Dorothy in the original Broadway production and will play Auntie Em in the TV adaptation. Additional casting is expected to be announced in coming weeks.

Queen Latifah’s Wiz character is described as a mysterious and powerful wizard who holds the keys to the Emerald City but whose metamorphosis from ordinary to extraordinary is itself a hoax. Blige’s evil Evillene holds sway over her minions, the Winkies and Winged Monkeys, and captures Dorothy and her friends to avenge her sister Evvamean and get her silver slippers back.

NBC’s casting move reunites Queen Latifah with producing duo Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who worked with the singer-actress on “Chicago,” “Hairspray” and the TV film “Steel Magnolias.” The producers also were behind last year’s “Peter Pan Live!” starring Williams.

“We are so happy reuniting with Latifah,” Zadan and Meron said in a statement. “We’ve been friends for a long time and we’ve had quite a lot of success together. To see her play the iconic role of the Wiz and make it her own is going to be one of the joys of producing this event.”

Grammy-winning recording artist Blige recently guest starred on Fox’s music drama “Empire” and the ABC comedy “black-ish.”

“I can’t wait to watch Mary bring the badness that is Evillene,” said director Kenny Leon. “Her talent range is off the charts and I know audiences won’t be able to take their eyes off her.”

Fatima Robinson of “Dreamgirls” and “Ali” will choreograph the show; Harvey Mason Jr. of “Dreamgirls” and “Pitch Perfect 2” will produce the music; and Stephen Oremus of “The Book of Mormon” and “Kinky Boots” will serve as music director, orchestrator and co-producer of the music.

Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.

Nardine Saad covers breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Fast Break Desk at the Los Angeles Times. She joined The Times in 2010 as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows.

Meet The Cast And Crew Of “The Wiz Live!”

The anticipated three-hour production of The Wiz Live! airs this week [Thursday, December 3] 8/7c on NBC.

The groundbreaking television event stars heavy hitters Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Shanice Williams, David Alan Grier, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Amber Riley, Stephanie Mills, Uzo Aduba and Common.

New Jersey resident Williams makes her professional acting debut as Dorothy, discovered by director Kenny Leon during an open call audition. The Wiz‘s storyline follows the original Wizard of Oz: Dorothy is a restless girl from Kansas, swept away to a magical world by a mysterious tornado. She learns the Wizard of Oz may be able to help her return home, but she must battle the Wicked Witch of the West first. She’s joined by the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion help her on her journey down the yellow brick road.

Fatima Robinson, known for her work on Dreamgirls, choreographed all the musical numbers. Kenny Leon said the The Wiz Live! more closely mirrors the Broadway version of the show, but fans will see nods to the iconic movie. The Broadway version swept the 1975 Tony Awards, winning Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Costume Design, Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical. Stephanie Mills starred in the Broadway show as Dorothy and is excited to be part of the live TV version. For many of the current cast members, their first Broadway show was The Wiz.

The movie version of The Wiz was released in 1978. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor.

Paul Tazewell, the genius behind Broadway’s hottest current musical Hamilton, has designed gorgeous and unique costumes for The Wiz Live! Stephen Oremus and Harvey Mason, Jr. are music director and producer, respectively. Their goal was to contemporize the famous soundtrack. A six-time Grammy winner known for his work with Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, Harvey recently worked on both Pitch Perfect films and the Straight Outta Compton score. Oremus is an accomplished theater orchestrator who won a Tony for his work on The Book of Mormon. Special acrobatic effects from Cirque Du Soleil are also incorporated into the show.

Many of the cast members and creatives gathered for a press conference at Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York to discuss the upcoming special. Read highlights below:

David Alan Grier plays the Cowardly Lion.

“I grew up on The Wizard of Oz. I fell in love with The Wiz. I feel a nod to Bert Lahr and Ted Ross in my interpretation of The Lion, and also we’re drawing on the film and the Broadway version of The Wiz and going back and trying to incorporate some elements of the original story. That’s kind of what I think about and am informed by when I go into it, but it’s going to come out in my own voice. I saw it on Broadway. It was the first show I saw.”

Ne-Yo plays the Tin Man.

“It’s completely new for me [starring in a live musical event]; never done anything in theater before. I was really not so much worried, but I just didn’t know what to expect coming into this whole thing. But first and foremost Elijah Kelley and I have been friends since Red Tails. We’ve been brothers ever since. So when I found out he was doing this, that helped me because at least somebody I knew was going to be there. But going in, from the first table reading to today—and this is going to sound cliché and corny—it’s been family. It’s just cool that everybody’s on the same page. Everybody wants to be amazing and is working ten times harder than they have to, to make sure that it’s amazing. It’s just really dope to be a part of something like that.”

Elijah Kelley will play the Scarecrow.

“Number one, I cannot dodge the massive elephant in the room which is Michael Jackson, the greatest of all time. Being able to be mentioned in the same breath as him, in the name of this character. I don’t know if everybody knows this, but Ne-Yo worked and did songs for him. Understand there’s so many small degrees of separation from the man and his work. It could be a daunting process, but I think God has equipped us with everything we need to pay homage and give honor to with this thing. It’s 40 years that we’ve been celebrating it and you don’t go into this like, ‘Oh I’m gonna smash this role.’ You look at it and think, ‘How can we honor this? How can we pay homage? How can we add to this legacy?’ That’s what we go in doing every day.”

Amber Riley plays Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North.

“Before even hearing what names were going to be a part of it, I wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t really care who was going to be in it. I was like, this is iconic. The fact my mom has seen it and that was her first Broadway show and then I saw it in the movie and now my niece who’s four is going to be able to watch it. Anything that can withstand generations has to be amazing. It has to be! There’s something special about it and I really wanted to be a part of that. ‘Ease On Down The Road’ and ‘What Can I Do,’ I really love. Also when YouTube became part of life, I got to hear the music from the musical that wasn’t in the movie. All of that was absolutely incredible.”

Stephanie Mills plays Aunty Em.

“It’s not different for me [starring in the TV version versus Broadway] because my work ethic is the same. I’m very disciplined, so I sing every day. I just roll right with it. At first I was a little nervous about the cameras because this is something I’ve never done, but we were rehearsing it like a Broadway show, so that made it easier and relaxed. By the time December 3 comes we will be ready because we were rehearsing like it is going to Broadway—which it is in 2016.”

Mary J. Blige plays Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.

“The back story always helps because you need to feel who she is through the song as well, so she’s just a very selfish, self-centered, hateful, horrible, ‘I want what I want right now’ b*tch type. You’re gonna listen! So when you sing it, she’s having her moment of release. Like, ‘this is how I feel, don’t bring me no bad news,’ and there you have it.”

Shanice Williams plays Dorothy.

“We have this joke that [the cast] says, ‘Oh you changed, Shanice.’ But it’s really funny because the first day I was super star struck, but they’re my brothers now and I have to tell myself don’t fan girl because they’re not gonna want to work with you if you fan girl! They make me so comfortable and we’re all like family.”

Uzo Aduba plays Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Common plays a Bouncer, gatekeeper of the entrance to Emerald City and Queen Latifah plays The Wiz.

Photo Credits: NBC

The Wiz (1978)

Director – Sidney Lumet, Screenplay – Joel Schumacher, Based on the Play by William F. Brown and the Novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Producer – Bob Cohen, Photography – Oswald Morris, Music/Lyrics – Charlie Small, Arrangements – Quincy Jones, Visual Effects – Albert Whitlock, Special Effects – Al Griswold, Makeup – Stan Winston, Production Design – Tony Walton, Choreography – Louis Johnson. Production Company – Motown.

Cast

Diana Ross (Dorothy), Michael Jackson (The Scarecrow), Nipsey Russell (Tin Man), Ted Ross (Lion), Richard Pryor (The Wiz), Mabel King (Evilena), Theresa Merritt (Auntie Em), Thelma Carpenter (Miss One), Lena Horne (Glinda the Good)

Plot

Dorothy is a Black kindergarten teacher who has never been south of New York City’s 125th Street in her 24 years. One evening, Dorothy runs outside after her dog Toto, only for a freak twister to appear and snatch her and Toto up. The twister deposits them in downtown Harlem. Dorothy accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the West as she lands. This serves to free the Munchkin people whom the Wicked Witch has turned into graffiti. The Munchkins tells Dorothy that the only way for her to return home is to seek the help of the mighty Wiz. And so Dorothy sets out on a journey to find The Wiz. Along the way she gathers a group of companions including a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a cowardly lion.

The Wiz is the film adaptation of a popular all-Black musical. The musical first premiered on Broadway in 1975 and enjoyed a popular run of 1672 performances over a period of four years. There is certainly an innovative idea at the heart of The Wiz – that of updating The Wizard of Oz (1939) and placing it in a modern Black funk-gospel idiom where Oz has been transformed into a fantasticized version of New York City.

The film/musical makes some cute modern interpolations of the familiar aspects of The Wizard of Oz – The Munckins are held in thrall to the Wicked Witch of the East as graffiti on a wall; the Cowardly Lion is one of the stone lions outside the New York Public Library come to life; instead of the field of poppies, Dorothy and companions have dust blown in their faces by hookers; The Wicked Witch of the West runs a sweatshop and is done in by fire sprinklers, while the flying monkeys are a motorcycle gang; and Oz/The Wiz is now a failed politician who travelled in from New Jersey by hot-air balloon and offers opinion on fashion from his Emerald Palace, located in Brooklyn.

The Wiz was mounted by the highly respected director Sidney Lumet. Sidney Lumet certainly has an impressive resume and has been responsible for a number of classic films such as 12 Angry Men (1957), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962), Serpico (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976), and the odd genre foray such as the stark nuclear drama Fail-Safe (1964), the Catholic boy’s boarding school psycho-thriller Child’s Play (1972) and the whodunnit parody Deathtrap (1982).

On a journey to find The Wiz – (l to r) The Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), The Tin Man (Nipsey Russell), Dorothy (Dana Ross) and the Lion (Ted Ross)

Not having seen the musical that The Wiz is based on, one can only comment on the film itself. In almost all of the above-listed films, Sidney Lumet is a superb dramatist but it is clear here that the musical is just not his cup of tea. On screen, The Wiz moves with all the elegance of a limping dinosaur. The musical numbers fail to find any life and the dance set-ups are ponderous and dragging. (The sole exception is the catchy Munchkin number He’s the Wizard , belted out with a throaty Aretha Franklin gusto by Thelma Carpenter).

The sets come on a quite mind-boggling scale. And the choreography, even if unimpressive, has some eye-catching scope – the budget for the film must have been fantastic. In the end though, The Wiz lacks soul. There is nothing up there amid the scale of the production. And the final message, which merely comes down to believing in one’s self, is trite.

A miscast Diana Ross (playing Dorothy at the age of 34) is neurotic and fails to bring the role to life with any sparkle. The supporting cast overact by degrees – Richard Pryor and Ted Ross become progressively more outlandish as the film progresses, while the awfulness of Mabel King’s rafter-shrieking performance as the Wicked Witch of the West defies belief. At least Michael Jackson as The Scarecrow and Nipsey Russell as the Tin Woodsman offer some charm in their performances.

There was also The Wiz Live (2015), a tv movie remake based directly on the musical.

On the script was a novice Joel Schumacher. At this point, Joel Schumacher had written a few scripts – Sparkle (1976), Car Wash (1976) – and shortly after The Wiz went on to make his debut as a director with The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981). Schumacher has since gone onto make genre films such as The Lost Boys (1990), Flatliners (1990), Falling Down (1993), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), 8MM (1999), Phone Booth (2002), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), The Number 23 (2007) and Town Creek (2009), and is probably the worst director working in the American mainstream today.

Wiccans view the Earth as a living entity, and they strive to foster a harmonious relationship with the natural world, recognizing the inherent sacredness of all living beings. They honor the changing seasons and lunar cycles, celebrating eight festivals collectively known as the Wheel of the Year. These celebrations mark important moments in the agricultural and spiritual calendar, such as the solstices, equinoxes, and harvest festivals.

Another core aspect of Wicca is the practice of magic. Wiccans believe in the power of ritual and spellwork to manifest their intentions and enhance their spiritual growth. Magic is seen as a natural force that can be utilized ethically and responsibly. Wiccans often create sacred spaces, such as altars, and use tools, like candles, crystals, and herbs, to aid their magical workings. **Wicca promotes personal responsibility and autonomy in one's spiritual journey**. Wiccans do not have a centralized religious authority figure, and each individual is encouraged to develop their own relationship with divinity. The pursuit of knowledge, self-discovery, and personal growth is highly valued within the Wiccan community. In conclusion, the core of Wicca lies in **the reverence for nature, the celebration of life's cycles, belief in interconnectedness, practice of magic, and emphasis on personal responsibility and autonomy**. These fundamental aspects shape the spiritual beliefs and practices of Wiccans worldwide..

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