The beauty of the internet is that a quick Google search can prevent you from sounding misinformed on social media. Unfortunately, that was lost on far too many White people, who shared their lack of knowledge about The Wiz! on Twitter.
“I just learned there is a black version of The Wizard of Oz called “The Wiz” – how is this not racist?” wrote Twitter user
To give a little historical context, The Wiz! originally debuted as a stage play in 1974 in Baltimore and then in 1975 on Broadway. The play purposely has an all-Black cast, as it is an adaptation of the children’s book from 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the same book on which the all-White 1939 film, The Wizard Of Oz, is based.
The Broadway production, starring Stephanie Mills, made history and broke racial barriers, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Watch Roland Martin, host of NewsOne Now, on the special “Dear White People.” He has a message for those who were confused about NBC’s remake of The Wiz! in the video clip below.
TV One’s NewsOne Now has moved to 7 A.M. ET, be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.
In 1978, Diana Ross played the role of Dorothy in the film adaptation of The Wiz, which also starred Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, and Lena Horne.
There have been several more reprisals of the play, including a short-lived 2009 run with Ashanti.
Regardless of the forty-year history of The Wiz, we find White people’s utter shock and bewilderment of the casting hilarious. Check out some of the racially insensitive tweets below.
Let us know your thoughts on the reboot, did you absolutely love it? Is there anything you would have changed?
https://twitter.com/KoneyDetroit/status/666083443034296320
https://twitter.com/MJTM/status/668622445172142081
https://twitter.com/90s_Jess/status/667136462312374272
And here’s the perfect response for the racist comments:
SEE ALSO:
NEWS ROUNDUP: “The Wiz Live!” Receives Rave Reviews
Confused White People Are Shocked “The Wiz!” Has An All Black Cast was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
