New Jersey teen to star as Dorothy in NBC’s ‘The Wiz’

“She eventually takes a path down a yellow brick road to find a wizard who can help her go home and along the way meets a scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion, who all learn to help one another”.

Grier broke onto the national stage as a player on the Fox hit sketch comedy series In Living Color. Different collection by which Grier has appeared embrace “Martin”, “Life With Bonnie”, “Crank Yankers”, “Glad Endings” and “Regulation & Order: SVU”. He is also set to star in the upcoming NBC comedy The Carmichael Show, which premieres August. 26.

Mary J. Blige will play Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West, who holds sway over the Winkies and the Winged Monkeys that do her bidding. She rose to her lofty position after being transported by accident to Oz in a hot air balloon during a snowstorm.

The 18-year-old New Jersey native was tapped for the lead role of Dorothy in the December TV production, which will retell L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” with an all-black cast set in a fantasy version of New York City.

The original Broadway production featured Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Dee Dee Bridgewater as good witch Glinda and Andre De Shields as the Wiz. The original 1974 production, directed by Geoffrey Holder and choreographed by George Faison, won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (“The Sound of Music Live!“, “Peter Pan Live!“, Oscar-winning “Chicago“) will serve as executive producers. Four-time Tony victor Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots) will contribute new material to Brown’s book. Beyoncé previously worked with Wiz choreographer Fatima Robinson on the film adaptation of Dreamgirls. Universal Television is producing in association with Cirque Du Soleil Theatrical.