While Beyoncé hasn’t signed on yet (and may not at all), there are a lot of good reasons why she should. Not only does the impressive cast already include Mary J. Blige as the the Wicked Witch of the West and Queen Latifah as the Wizard, Cirque du Soleil will co-produce the event. It’s already set to be an amazing show, so her involvement would just be the cherry and sprinkles on top.
Of course, all won’t be lost if the 20-time Grammy winner opts out. E! News’ sources say Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black‘s Crazy Eyes) could step in instead. As a former Broadway star, she’s no consolation prize. (Aduba previously starred in the Godspell revival from 2011 to 2012.) If Beyoncé does claim Glinda, NBC should find her another part.
The Wiz retells the well-known story of Dorothy and her journey back to Kansas, with an “African-American/multicultural twist,” NBC said in a statement. The musical first opened on Broadway in 1975 and went on to win seven Tony awards — including Best Musical — shortly thereafter. Following the NBC version, the production will get another Broadway run, starting in 2016.
A live musical event has become an annual tradition for NBC since 2013’s The Sound of Music Live, starring country singer Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp. The first production was a huge success, but last year’s Peter Pan Live unfortunately didn’t measure up in terms of viewership. The networks seems to be doing what it can to change that, and locking Beyoncé down as Glinda should absolutely do the trick.
The Wiz is set to air on NBC on Dec. 3.
