The Wiz

QPAC and the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) will present the stage musical The Wiz for four performances only in QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre.

Based on the book by William F. Brown, with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, The Wiz is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of modern African-American culture.

The show features the popular musical theatre songs "Ease on Down the Road", "Everybody Rejoice/Brand New Day", "Believe in Yourself" and "Home".

Directed and choreographed by Simon Lind, this production will showcase the talents of the graduating students from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts.

Dorothy, a restless Kansas farm girl eager to see more of the world, is transported by a tornado to a magical world of Munchkins, witches, and a yellow brick road. On her way to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz, who she believes can help her get back home to Kansas, she encounters the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion—friends who help her battle the Wicked Witch of the West and eventually learn that there really is “no place like home”.

The 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was an early example of Broadway’s mainstream acceptance of works with an all-black cast. It has had original productions in New York, London and Australia. A big-budget film adaptation of the same name was released in 1978, which starred Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow.