WAYNE BRADY Jumping into a show like this was like jumping into a game of double Dutch. My default Wayne will always be 10-year-old Wayne, who is a loner, plays, listens to musical theater and writes alone because he doesn't fit in. So I say to myself, 'Oh, I don't know. all these people, and they already like each other.” But these things are always all in our heads. Then you say, 'Come on, now. You wouldn't be here if you weren't supposed to be here, and this is your thing. This is my fourth Broadway show, so my job is to be here to support my cast.
“The Wiz” is known for his iconic performances, on stage and on screen. How have your predecessors influenced your performance?
LEWIS When I got the call, the first thing I did was watch this YouTube recording of Stephanie Mills doing the show. Every time she sang it was so soulful I could feel it through the screen. Then I watched some clips of Diana Ross. When you watch the video of her singing “Home,” it's like she's talking directly to you. So I wanted to take the authenticity and make sure I put that into this Dorothy.
BRADY As a kid, I didn't just focus on Richard Pryor [as The Wiz], I just loved the whole thing. Later, when I started performing, I said, “If it ever happens, I want to be the Tinman or the Scarecrow.” And one time I was even hired as a Tinman for Des McAnuff's [2006] production Playhouse La Jollabut I ended up doing another TV show instead.
Given that it is a beloved classic, how did you ensure the uniqueness of this adaptation?
LEWIS My Dorothy is 15, and even though she has her Aunt Em, she still doesn't feel like anyone is there for her. It's kind of a teenage thing. It's important for Dorothy on her journey to find all these different people who are going through similar things and trying to feel comfortable in their own skin. My goal was to create this person who is growing, and to be able to see that those changes are in her voice, in her body and just in her being.