The Wiz Live! - December 03
Playbill
Who's Who
-
Shanice Williams
as Dorothy
Williams was selected out of thousands of applicants nationwide who auditioned to portray the iconic role of Dorothy in NBC’s production of “The Wiz Live!”
With five years of musical training that also includes extensive dance and piano, Williams has co-starred in several local productions, including West Side Story, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, 42nd Street, Seussical and Pippin.
Last year Williams was nominated for best leading actress in a musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse’s annual Rising Star Awards. -
Queen Latifah
as The Wiz
The multi-talented Queen Latifah is a Golden Globe, Grammy and Screen Actors Guild Award winner, and has earned Emmy and Oscar nominations.
She scored her second career Emmy nomination as the title character in the critically acclaimed HBO biopic “Bessie” as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith. On the film side, Queen Latifah received an Academy Award nomination and earned a SAG win as part of the cast for her role as Matron Mama Morton in the Oscar-winning film “Chicago.”
In addition to “Chicago,” Queen Latifah also co-starred in “Hairspray” and the TV film “Steel Magnolias,” all of which were executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. “The Wiz Live!” marks a reunion between the actress and producers. Other films on Queen Latifah’s resume include “Bringing Down the House,” the “Ice Age” franchise, “Last Holiday” and “The Secret Life of Bees.” -
Mary J. Blige
as Evillene (Wicked Witch of the West)
Ranked by Billboard as the top R&B performer of the past 25 years, Blige has sold more than 50 million albums and 25 million singles. She has released 12 albums, with her 1994 disc “My Life” considered by many prominent critics and music publications to be one of the greatest albums of all time.
Blige also has nine #1 albums setting a mark for a female artist. She has earned 30 Grammy nominations and won nine times.
As an actress, Blige began her career on “The Jamie Foxx Show” and has been featured on past hits such as “Entourage” and most recently “Empire” and “Blackish.” She also co-starred in the Lifetime film “Betty and Coretta,” and the 2012 feature film “Rock of Ages.”
Page 6 of 30
