They're Off to See the Wizard in The Wiz Live!—Check the New Art

See Shanice Williams, David Alan Grier, Ne-Yo and Elijah Kelley in costume for the first time

By Jean Bentley Oct 13, 2015 10:44 PMTags
The Wiz Live!Kwaku Alston/NBC

They're ready to ease on down the road! NBC is busy prepping its latest live holiday musical event, The Wiz, and now we have our first glimpse at the all-star cast in character as Dorothy and her three Yellow Brick Road traveling companions—and Toto's there too!

Check the just-released key art to see 18-year-old newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy, the Kansas farm girl who lands in the land of Oz after a disastrous tornado, David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion, Ne-Yo (yes, that Ne-Yo!) as the Tin Man, Elijah Kelley (Hairspray) as the Scarecrow and an adorable puppy as the little dog.

The Wiz Live! is a revival of the '70s musical (that eventually became a movie with an all-star cast) that tells the story of The Wizard of Oz, but with an "African/American/multicultural twist," as NBC put it in the release announcing the production. The show will air live on Thursday, Dec. 3 on NBC, and is scheduled to move to Broadway after its TV debut.

Universal

While big names such as Queen Latifah (The Wiz), Uzo Aduba (Glinda the Good Witch) and Mary J. Blige (Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West) signed on for some of the iconic roles, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron wanted to cast an unknown as Dorothy.

The news of Williams' casting was announced on the Today show. "It's really hitting me right now," Williams told Carson Daly at the time.

Common, Amber Riley and Stephanie Mills (Broadway's original Dorothy) are also set to star in the production.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBC Universal family.)

Watch: Uzo Aduba Excited to Join "The Wiz" as Glinda!