History Theatre / TheWiz

In early 2015, Creator/{{NBC}} and Creator/CirqueDuSoleil obtained the rights to produce a live, made-for-TV adaptation, following on from the network's moderately successful series of live musicals starting with ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic Live!'' in 2013 and ''Theatre/PeterPan Live!'' in 2014. Tony winner Kenny Leon directed his own who's who of African-American celebrities, including Music/QueenLatifah as the Wiz, and a newcomer as Dorothy, Shanice Williams. This version aired in December 2015, and followed the play more accurately than the movie did. However, the script does make its own embellishments, courtesy of Harvey Fierstein -- such as making Dorothy a native of Omaha, Nebraska, who struggled to adjust to life in her new Kansas town prior to landing in Oz.

[[IReadThatAs Not to be confused with]] ''Film/TheWizard.''

* HairTriggerTemper: According to her VillainSong, Evillene has one.

* AgeLift: The Tin Man seems noticeably younger here than in the movie or original Broadway versions.[[note]]Tiger Hayes and Nipsey Russel were both in their 60s when they played the Tin Man on Broadway and in the movie, respectively, while Ne-Yo was only 36 when playing him on NBC.[[/note]] The actors of Dorothy's other companions were older than their Broadway and movie predecessors, but this might not look as apparent to the average viewer.

* MonochromeCasting: The ''entire'' cast is black.

* AudioDescription: NBC outfitted the premiere broadcast with optional Descriptive Video Service, a first for live TV programming. Unfortunately, the DVD provides no such luxury.

* CostumePorn: Nearly nonstop. The original Broadway and NBC versions even won a Tony and an Emmy, respectively, for Best/Outstanding Costume Design. (The movie earned a nomination in the corresponding Oscar category, but lost to ''Literature/DeathOfTheNile''.)

* CostumePorn: Nearly nonstop. The original Broadway and NBC versions even won a Tony and an Emmy, respectively, for Best/Outstanding Costume Design.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Downplayed rather heavily compared to the play and the movie. Evillene has undergone some AdaptationalAttractiveness, as mentioned above. Additionally, the Poppies appear quite alluring, until they turn those who come near into their servants - A Munchkin who warns Dorothy about the Poppies outright admits that sometimes beautiful things can prove deadly. All that being said, Glinda the Good Witch of the South (played by Uzo Aduba) still seems regarded as the most gorgeous witch in Oz, judging by Dorothy's awestruck exclamation of, "She is beautiful!", when she sees Glinda descend from the sky to help her.

->''"He's the Wiz! He's the one, he's the only one who could give your wish right to ya..."''

The musical will also see a Broadway revival in 2016.

* ItWasWithYouAllAlong / MagicFeather: "Believe In Yourself" is a song explaining this to Dorothy's companions with regards to what they were searching for (the Wiz sings it in the stage version, Dorothy in the movie). The reprise, performed by Glinda, reveals that the Silver Slippers will take Dorothy home if she believes she can do so. NBC's version replaced the first performance of "Believe in Yourself" with a series of motivational speeches that the Wiz gives to Dorothy's companions, while Glinda still sings her version of the song to Dorothy.

* TotallyRadical: The productions tend to work in slang that probably didn't exist when the book originally came out.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: At least one review has interpreted Dorothy standing up for the Wiz, after [[spoiler:the Tin Man sounds shocked to discover the Wiz was actually a woman]], as the script also calling out whatever viewers object to Kenny Leon casting a female performer as the usually-male Wiz.
-->'''Dorothy:''' [[spoiler:Nothing wrong with being a woman! I don't know where y'all fools learned y'all manners.]]

* CostumePorn: Nearly nonstop. The original Broadway version even won a Tony for Best Costume Design.

* MusicalisInterruptus: The second performance of "Ease On Down the Road" gets interrupted by the Cowardly Lion attempting to scare Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Man with "I'm a Mean Ol' Lion". In the NBC special, the latter song's last note gets interrupted by Dorothy slapping the Lion.

* MusicalisInterruptus: The second performance of "Ease On Down the Road" gets interrupted by the Cowardly Lion attempting to scare Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Man.

* NonAppearingTitle: The Original Broadway Cast recording's cover refers to "A Brand New Day" as, "Everybody Rejoice", despite the fact no one sings that phrase.

** Characters from ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' that the musical left out include the Wicked Witch of the West's bees and wolves, and everyone Dorothy and her friends encountered on their way to Glinda's palace (Glinda saves Dorothy the trouble of walking there by meeting her in the Emerald City).

* AscendedExtra: In ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', Dorothy doesn't see the Good Witch of the North again after the Witch leaves Munchkinland. In contrast, the stage and TV versions of ''The Wiz'' have Addapearle re-appear after the Wiz leaves Dorothy behind in Oz, then alert Glinda to help Dorothy return to Kansas.

* ImAHumanitarian: When Dorothy refuses to give Evillene the Silver Shoes, Evillene threatens to cook her and the Cowardly Lion in a stew. (For extra cruelty, she also threatens to use the Tin Man as the pot, and burn the Scarecrow for a fire.) Dorothy fights back against the knife-wielding Evillene by melting her with a bucket of water.

* MythologyGag: Dorothy wears red sneakers prior to receiving the Silver Shoes, a potential nod to the Ruby Slippers from MGM's ''The Wizard of Oz''.