After a successful run on Broadway, the delightful, energetic musical “The Wiz” is at The National Theatre until April 12.
The revival of the beloved musical – which sold out its pre-Broadway performances in D.C. in 2023 – now hosts author and Emmy and Tony-nominated writer Amber Ruffin’s adaptation of the original 1975 script, featuring reimagined slang, youthful friendship dynamics, and the continued essence of Black excellence and achievement.
“For [Dorothy] to be a young Black girl leading these people — that’s fantastic. We wanted her to be the natural leader that she is,” said Ruffin, the “Some Like it Hot” playwright, in a Broadway.com interview.
Becoming Dorothy
In this national tour version of “The Wiz,” Dorothy is played by Phoenix Assata Lafreniere, who started with the cast in early February as a member of the ensemble and as the understudy for the role she’s now starring in.
After four weeks of rehearsals, Lafreniere was offered the part of Dorothy. At The National, Lafreniere sang, danced, and added a lot of excitement to her role as leader of the pack. Since taking on one of the key leads on the tour, it’s been a whirlwind ever since for the 22-year-old native of Oakland, California.
“Just like me, my family was shocked that it happened so quickly. They freaked out,” said Lafreniere in an exclusive interview with The Washington Informer.
Lafreniere grabbed onto the ring of musical theater in middle school after hearing music from a famous Lin-Manuel Miranda musical.
“I fell in love with ‘Hamilton,’” she said. “That opened doors for me in musical theater.”
Lafreniere began working on musicals during the summers and in high school. She is now a 2026 graduate of New York’s Pace University with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts.
The hard work has paid off in what can be considered record time. Lafreniere remembers singing with her mother, Aisha Tanner, a former member of the R&B group Atlantic Starr. But “The Wiz” has been in her heart for a long time.
“I knew all of the songs from the movie ‘The Wiz,’ said Lafreniere. “‘You Can’t Win,’ sung by Michael Jackson, is my favorite.”
The No-Holding-Back Cast and Crew of ‘The Wiz‘
Directed by Schele Williams and choreographed by Jaquel Knight, “The Wiz” has one of the hardest-working casts on stage.
The dance sequences were tight. Coming out of intermission was one of the most club-worthy, drop-to-the-floor moments on stage, with most of the audience looking ready to join in.
It was a delight to see the return of Alan Mingo Jr. as The Wiz. He was in the same role during the pre-Broadway run of the musical in 2023. Mingo has embraced his wizard role as the debonair, sometimes smug hustler who promises a lot but, as audiences learn, cannot deliver a thing.
Dorothy’s crew is talented and committed, as their leader must constantly keep them hopeful. Elijah Ahmad Lewis is The Scarecrow, D. Jerome plays The Tinman, and Cal Mitchell plays The Lion. Their acting engaged audiences as they went from upbeat to sorrowful. The dialogue was spiced with more than enough comedy as the troupe traveled on the yellow brick road.
Among the most wonderful moments were when the travelers sang together on the heart-tugging songs “Be a Lion” and “What Would I Do If I Could Feel.” The vocal harmonies were stupendous.
Further, Laferniere knocked it out of the park on the signature closing song “Home.” A few sniffles could be heard from the audience.
The talent on stage for “The Wiz” came to D.C. to give families a good time at Broadway at The National, and the audience loved every moment.
What Lafrieniere hopes for audiences is that they get a sense of belonging from the musical.
“I want us to feel like we can do all of the things that we set our minds to,” Lafreniere told The Informer. “Also, I want us to build friendships and find likenesses in our differences by leading with love.”
The schedule for the North American tour of “The Wiz” is posted at wizmusical.com/tour-dates.
