The Wiz

The Wiz

Special guests: The Debbie Allen Dance Studio

On its opening day in 2021, the Academy Museum screened The Wizard of Oz (1939) accompanied by a live orchestra. To celebrate the first anniversary of the museum, we are proud to present the beloved Motown musical version of L. Frank Baum’s classic fantasy. Director Sidney Lumet followed a string of Oscar-winning 1970s classics with this lavish adaptation of the popular Broadway musical noted for its lively score and all-Black cast. Lumet’s film features a stellar array of iconic entertainers including Diana Ross as Dorothy (reconceived for the film as a shy Harlem schoolteacher), Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Lena Horne as Glinda and Richard Pryor as The Wiz, and was nominated for its Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, and Music (Adaptation Score). 

Our screening of The Wiz will feature live and in-person dance performances by The Debbie Allen Dance Studio youth performers.

DIRECTOR: Sidney Lumet. WRITTEN BY: Joel Schumacher. CAST: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Richard Pryor. 1978. 133 min. USA. Color. English. Rated G. 35mm.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 

Back to Main Series