'The Wiz' is NBC's next live musical, Cirque du Soleil joining production

Sorry Music Man fans, but The Wiz will be NBC’s next live musical special instead. The peacock network has picked the musical version of The Wizard of Oz for this year’s musical.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will be back to executive produce, but joining the team this time is Cirque du Soleil. The troupe plans on reviving the musical on Broadway, using the NBC special as a launchpad for the 2016-17 production.

In addition, Tony winner Kenny Leon will stage both productions, with Tony winner Harvey Fierstein contributing new material. The original book was by William F. BRown.

“We are delighted that NBC and Cirque du Soleil will present The Wiz,” Scott Zeiger, President and Managing Director of Cirque’s theatrical division, said in a statement. “It’s a musical I have wanted to produce for years and it’s the perfect show to present under the new Cirque du Soleil Theatrical banner.”

“We're thrilled to have the opportunity to not only produce this as our next live musical for NBC, but to then see it move to Broadway for a new generation to experience,” Zadan added.

“It will be a joy to work again with Kenny Leon, who did Steel Magnolias and Raisin in the Sun with us,” Meron said.

After The Sound of Music Live! and Peter Pan Live!, NBC did say last year that Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man would be the 2016 live musical special. However, the network’s position on that began to change in January, as the AP reported at the time. That was likely in response to the low ratings Peter Pan received. Audiences might be a little more open to a more modern musical, even if it is one that opened on Broadway in forty years ago.

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