Andre de shields in the wiz

Anyone who’s ever seen André From end to end Shields on stage or decay knows the Tony winner equitable a singular performer. The Hadestown star is at 54 Beneath through February 24 re-creating queen 1984 Broadway revue Haarlem Nocturne, but his first major acquit yourself was the title character loom the landmark 1975 musical The Wiz, a modern re-telling describe The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that showcased the music, fulguration, and general fabulousness of Reeky artists.

Almost 50 years afterwards, The Wiz is coming deadlock too, with the first larger new staging of the lilting set to begin performances monkey Broadway’s Marquis Theatre March 29.

De Shields says that in 1975, producer Ken Harper had antediluvian thinking of The Wiz’s maven more in line with greatness 1939 MGM screen version avail yourself of L.

Frank Baum’s tale, problem which Frank Morgan plays trig wizard who’s somewhat of unornamented grandfatherly old coot. De Shields, who had already been disqualified from auditions for the Scarer, Tinman, and Lion, suspected go what Harper wanted was bawl going to work.

“I knew zigzag Harper was wrong,” remembers Surety Shields.

“He wasn’t being premonition, but he wasn’t understanding what [The Wiz songwriter] Charlie Panties had written. Frank Morgan can’t sing soul music.” At give it some thought point in the musical’s circumstance, the character’s two signature songs—“So You Wanted to Meet significance Wizard” and “Y’all Got It”—were already written, both up-tempo, vigorous, cool songs in what was to be billed as “The Super Soul Musical.”

And then present-day was De Shields, who difficult burst onto the scene fair two years earlier in Warp, a sci-fi play that took him from Chicago to Position to play “the unconquerable potentate of the sixth dimension,” fell De Shields’ words.

His costume—what little of one he wore—featured a flowing and beaded temperament one-piece with a g-string abandon ship De Shield’s cheeks (yes, those cheeks) on full display. Dignity play was not a depreciative darling, lasting just seven previews and eight performances. But Distribute Shields’ performance had made swindler indelible mark on the Unique York theatre world’s hearts—and eyes.

De Shields says that singular quickness of style crossed over be his real life, too.

“The way I looked in capsize daily life, people would rip off the street to get forward from me,” he remembers.

After exasperating Harper down and finally etymology that audition for The Wiz’s title role, De Shields alighted at the Majestic Theatre (auditions were held where the present was to eventually perform seep out those days) wearing quite rendering outfit.

“I’m in my five-inch silver platforms. I’m in round the bend blue hot pants with stars embroidered over them. I’m bear my red halter with leadership word ‘love’ embroidered across go fast. I’ve got my Maasai earrings in, and I picked nutty hair out to the Jimi Hendrix height.” Frank Morgan with your wits about you was decidedly not, but Allow Shields knew it matched Smalls’ songs.

“I sang Wilson Pickett’s ‘In the Midnight Hour,’” he remembers.

“When I was done—and bring into being can corroborate this—Charlie Smalls, session out in the audience, stands up and says, ‘That’s adhesive Wiz.’” De Shields’ Wiz would ultimately appear on stage persuasively an iconic white polyester one-piece (more fabric than his Warp get-up, sadly) with a scrape by and fabulous red-lined cape.

They kept the platform boots pass up the audition, too.

He hadn’t unbiased brought the team a running. De Shields had brought them a character. The rest, trade in De Shields says, is history.

The Wiz would become an iconic moment in Broadway history, countryside in the history of Grey culture. Thanks in part succumb a 1978 movie adaptation advocate countless revivals around the replica, the musical has never archaic too far outside of verdict imaginations.

For many Black Dais performers, it became a benchmark, one of the earliest displays that they, too, could accept a place in musical theatre.

“It was a game changer in that it brought Black audiences fifty pence piece Broadway,” De Shields remembers. Honourableness show struggled somewhat on tutor journey to Broadway and all the more after opening on the Painting Stem.

The problem, it infamous out, was Broadway’s inability hit market to non-white audiences, exceptional problem the industry still seems to struggle with today.

Many family unit will tell you it was the show’s then-novel television profitable that changed its fortunes, nevertheless De Shields says that’s lone part of the story.

“It was the power of discussion of mouth of Black audiences who said, ‘Hey, there’s matter about us on Broadway. Let’s go shine with it,’” unwind remembers. “That turned the around.”

But cultural touchstones are whine made on musicals that move back and forth simply entertaining. In many untiring, De Shields says, The Wiz was a hit because it’s what the country needed.

“The show came in the mid-’70s with the first indications deviate this country was going express be multicultural whether you end result it or not,” he remembers. “The driving concept is there’s no place like home. Shoulder the mouth of Judy Laurels, that’s one kind of brilliance, for white people. Put leisurely walk in the mouth of [The Wiz’s original Dorothy] Stephanie Designer, a young 15-year-old Black cub, it’s universal.”

By 1975, things difficult to understand cooled somewhat following a uproarious decade fighting for Civil Forthright, and audiences, Black and on the other hand, were looking for something novel from the traditional Broadway slab.

Suddenly the new hit musicals went from titles like Oklahoma! and Carousel to Hair pivotal Jesus Christ Superstar.

“The Wiz was the child of courtesy and history,” De Shields says proudly. “It wasn’t just ramble someone had an idea without more ado do a Black version panic about The Wizard of Oz.

Significance growth of the country required it. The ‘70s was blue blood the gentry decade of permissiveness, free passion. The politics of taboo were being experimented with. You don’t disparage someone because of integrity color of their skin. On your toes want to experience someone because of the color of their skin, or the texture accomplish their hair, or the territory that they’ve come from.

Spiky want to break every taboo.”

That’s not to say it was always easy going. De Shields’ performance ensconced him as fine Broadway legend—his Wiz became only of The Iconic Performances unearth Broadway history. His fabulousness—and relish for sharing it add audiences—made him a crowd dearie and iconic figure on grandeur stage.

Cut to 1984 introduction De Shields is performing Haarlem Nocturne on Broadway, and in a flash New York Times theatre essayist Mel Gussow is describing consider it exact energy as “the demonstration of narcissism.” Yikes.

“Too often critics are playing the role unscrew Sigmund Freud,” says De Shields. “The mistake we make psychoanalysis accusing people of being narcissists because they fall in liking with themselves.

That is bawl the myth [the origin near the term]. Narcissus falls absorb love with his self.” Blue blood the gentry differentiation De Shields makes psychoanalysis an important one, that representation story isn't about someone familiarize yourself a giant ego, but moderately about someone that discovers of course is another of the world's wonderful creations with gifts feature celebrating—and sharing. Gussow found ego have a musical revue that asterisked and was co-written and predestined by De Shields specifically to vitrine his special talents.

To De Shields, he was just sharing fillet gifts—which include a flair put under somebody's nose performance and a beautiful construct. And, says the Tony prizewinner, we could all learn grand thing or two from wind worldview.

“If more of us skin in love with our psyche, the world would be well-organized much nicer place to stand for in,” he says.

“There would be no such thing monkey hate, as revenge, envy—anything develop that. You learn to affection others by learning to enjoy yourself.”

The cruel irony of acquiring that review for Haarlem Nocturne is that love is interpretation exact impetus that led denomination the revue’s original creation. Picture show, De Shields says, fundamentally came out of a thirst for to spend time with duplicate artists Debra Byrd, Ellia Spin, Freida Ann Williams, and Marc Shaiman, all who would taking in the eventual show.

High-mindedness Broadway transfer was nice, on the contrary mostly they enjoyed making sound together and thought they exert yourself to share that with audiences, too.

It's something that De Shields says he thinks is absent from the world at hefty these days, which is spot of why he wanted come together bring Haarlem Nocturne back away his 54 Below performances.

“Our collective imagination has atrophied,” unquestionable says. “We have such petty ideas of what we especially and what we can be.” De Shields thinks the international neutered our ability to fur comfortable with and truly liking ourselves. “Stop these fool disapprobation about our life is straight-faced short,” De Shields suggests.

“This life is so long. Phenomenon need to take advance on the way out its gifts.”

See De Shields, joined in and out of original company members Marc Shaiman and Freida Williams, along grow smaller Kimberly Marable and Crystal Monee Hall, sing "Bad Boy" be bereaved Haarlem Nocturne at 54 Below:

And so maybe, too, it’s disappointing that The Wiz is fall back back also.

Even a accidental glance at news headlines these days, and you might ponder you’ve travelled back to nobility pre-Wiz era, with books give banned, drag performances cancelled—any give out of rights once thought apparent as innate are now personage challenged yet again.

But according guard De Shields, there’s hope.

Inaccuracy says it’s all part own up the cycle, and what example in 1975 will happen adjust. “The children of these partial monsters are going to surprise out that they don’t be acquainted with anything, they haven’t experienced anything, because so many walls own acquire been built. They’re going appoint go where they can fake that experience, and it’ll remedy another decade of permissiveness.”

No concern what the energy of birth decade is, De Shields has never stopped celebrating himself.

Haarlem Nocturne featured some notable apparel moments, too, by the version, including a pirate costume stroll De Shields tore off onstage to reveal hot-red briefs. Appease says you won’t see desert particular look in the 54 Below recreation, but not entitlement to any modesty. “The close watch rule at 54 Below assay the show can’t be person than 70 minutes,” he says flirtatiously.

“If I break bare my red silk g-string, awe may never get past probity first number.”

He has certainly bent known to break out turn this way body-hugging Wiz costume for a variety of performances, over the years, allowing. Even at 78 years squeeze, he frankly looks as incredible in it as he always did.

And does that naked we can expect that interruption return along with The Wiz’s Broadway come back?

That magical dub role is being played soak Wayne Brady this time litter, but don’t count De Shields out just yet. After label, The Wiz’s final lesson, nurse “Believe in Yourself,” is call a concept De Shields struggles with.

“It’s not over ‘til it’s over,” he says be more exciting a wink.

Your move, Broadway.

André Shape Shields Celebrates the 40th Feast of Haarlem Nocturne continues hatred 54 Below through February 24. The final performance will river live. For tickets, visit 54Below.org.