Anyone who鈥檚 ever seen Andr茅 De Shields on stage or off knows the Tony winner is a singular performer. The Hadestown star is at 54 Below through February 24 re-creating his 1984 Broadway revue Haarlem Nocturne, but his first major role was the title character of the landmark 1975 musical The Wiz, a modern re-telling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that showcased the music, dancing, and general fabulousness of Black artists. Almost 50 years later, The Wiz is coming back too, with the first major new staging of the musical set to begin performances at Broadway鈥檚 Marquis Theatre March 29.
De Shields says that in 1975, producer Ken Harper had been thinking of The Wiz鈥檚 wizard more in line with the 1939 MGM screen version of L. Frank Baum鈥檚 tale, in which Frank Morgan plays a wizard who鈥檚 somewhat of a grandfatherly old coot. De Shields, who had already been eliminated from auditions for the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion, suspected that what Harper wanted was not going to work.
鈥淚 knew that Harper was wrong,鈥� remembers De Shields. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 being evil, but he wasn鈥檛 understanding what [The Wiz songwriter] Charlie Smalls had written. Frank Morgan can鈥檛 sing soul music.鈥� At that point in the musical鈥檚 development, the character鈥檚 two signature songs鈥斺淪o You Wanted to Meet the Wizard鈥� and 鈥淵鈥檃ll Got It鈥濃攚ere already written, both up-tempo, energetic, cool songs in what was to be billed as 鈥淭he Super Soul Musical.鈥�
And then there was De Shields, who had burst onto the scene just two years earlier in Warp, a sci-fi play that took him from Chicago to Broadway to play 鈥渢he unconquerable ruler of the sixth dimension,鈥� in De Shields鈥� words. His costume鈥攚hat little of one he wore鈥攆eatured a flowing and beaded net one-piece with a g-string leaving De Shield鈥檚 cheeks (yes, those cheeks) on full display. The play was not a critical darling, lasting just seven previews and eight performances. But De Shields鈥� performance had made an indelible mark on the New York theatre world鈥檚 hearts鈥攁nd eyes.
De Shields says that singular sense of style crossed over into his real life, too. 鈥淭he way I looked in my daily life, people would cross the street to get away from me,鈥� he remembers.
After wearing Harper down and finally getting that audition for The Wiz鈥檚 title role, De Shields arrived at the Majestic Theatre (auditions were held where the show was to eventually perform in those days) wearing quite the outfit. 鈥淚鈥檓 in my five-inch silver platforms. I鈥檓 in my blue hot pants with stars embroidered over them. I鈥檓 in my red halter with the word 鈥榣ove鈥� embroidered across it. I鈥檝e got my Maasai earrings in, and I picked my hair out to the Jimi Hendrix height.鈥� Frank Morgan it was decidedly not, but De Shields knew it matched Smalls鈥� songs.
鈥淚 sang Wilson Pickett鈥檚 鈥業n the Midnight Hour,鈥欌� he remembers. 鈥淲hen I was done鈥攁nd people can corroborate this鈥擟harlie Smalls, sitting out in the audience, stands up and says, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 my Wiz.鈥欌� De Shields鈥� Wiz would ultimately appear on stage in an iconic white polyester one-piece (more fabric than his Warp get-up, sadly) with a long and fabulous red-lined cape. They kept the platform boots from the audition, too.
He hadn鈥檛 just brought the team a performance. De Shields had brought them a character. The rest, as De Shields says, is history.
The Wiz would become an iconic moment in Broadway history, and in the history of Black culture. Thanks in part to a 1978 movie adaptation and countless revivals around the world, the musical has never been too far outside of our imaginations. For many Black Broadway performers, it became a touchstone, one of the earliest displays that they, too, could have a place in musical theatre.
鈥淚t was a game changer because it brought Black audiences to Broadway,鈥� De Shields remembers. The show struggled somewhat on its journey to Broadway and even after opening on the Main Stem. The problem, it turned out, was Broadway鈥檚 inability to market to non-white audiences, a problem the industry still seems to struggle with today.
Many people will tell you it was the show鈥檚 then-novel television commercial that changed its fortunes, but De Shields says that鈥檚 only part of the story. 鈥淚t was the power of word of mouth of Black audiences who said, 鈥楬ey, there鈥檚 something about us on Broadway. Let鈥檚 go shine with it,鈥欌� he remembers. 鈥淭hat turned the ship around.鈥�
But cultural touchstones are not made on musicals that are simply entertaining. In many ways, De Shields says, The Wiz was a hit because it鈥檚 what the country needed. 鈥淭he show came in the mid-鈥�70s with the first indications that this country was going to be multicultural whether you liked it or not,鈥� he remembers. 鈥淭he driving concept is there鈥檚 no place like home. In the mouth of Judy Garland, that鈥檚 one kind of radiance, for white people. Put it in the mouth of [The Wiz鈥檚 original Dorothy] Stephanie Mills, a young 15-year-old Black girl, it鈥檚 universal.鈥�
By 1975, things had cooled somewhat following a tumultuous decade fighting for Civil Rights, and audiences, Black and otherwise, were looking for something different from the traditional Broadway fare. Suddenly the new hit musicals went from titles like Oklahoma! and Carousel to Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar.
鈥�The Wiz was the child of culture and history,鈥� De Shields says proudly. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just that someone had an idea to do a Black version of The Wizard of Oz. The growth of the country demanded it. The 鈥�70s was the decade of permissiveness, free love. The politics of taboo were being experimented with. You don鈥檛 disparage someone because of the color of their skin. You want to experience someone because of the color of their skin, or the texture of their hair, or the country that they鈥檝e come from. You want to break every taboo.鈥�
That鈥檚 not to say it was always easy going. De Shields鈥� performance ensconced him as a Broadway legend鈥攈is Wiz became one of The Iconic Performances from Broadway history. His fabulousness鈥攁nd his relish for sharing it with audiences鈥攎ade him a crowd favorite and iconic figure on the stage. Cut to 1984 as De Shields is performing Haarlem Nocturne on Broadway, and suddenly New York Times theatre critic Mel Gussow is describing that exact energy as 鈥渢he definition of narcissism.鈥� Yikes.
鈥淭oo often critics are playing the role of Sigmund Freud,鈥� says De Shields. 鈥淭he mistake we make is accusing people of being narcissists because they fall in love with themselves. That is not the myth [the origin of the term]. Narcissus falls in love with his self.鈥� The differentiation De Shields makes is an important one, that the story isn't about someone with a giant ego, but rather about someone that discovers he is another of the world's wonderful creations with gifts worth celebrating鈥攁nd sharing. Gussow found ego in a musical revue that starred and was co-written and directed by De Shields specifically to showcase his special talents. To De Shields, he was just sharing his gifts鈥攚hich include a flair for performance and a beautiful bod. And, says the Tony winner, we could all learn a thing or two from that worldview.
鈥淚f more of us fell in love with our self, the world would be a much nicer place to live in,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here would be no such thing as hate, as revenge, envy鈥攁nything like that. You learn to love others by learning to love yourself.鈥�
The cruel irony of getting that review for Haarlem Nocturne is that love is the exact impetus that led to the revue鈥檚 original creation. The show, De Shields says, essentially came out of a desire to spend time with fellow artists Debra Byrd, Ellia English, Freida Ann Williams, and Marc Shaiman, all who would star in the eventual show. The Broadway transfer was nice, but mostly they enjoyed making music together and thought they ought to share that with audiences, too.
It's something that De Shields says he thinks is missing from the world at large these days, which is part of why he wanted to bring Haarlem Nocturne back via his 54 Below performances. 鈥淥ur collective imagination has atrophied,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have such puny ideas of what we are and what we can be.鈥� De Shields thinks the pandemic neutered our ability to be comfortable with and truly love ourselves. 鈥淪top these fool complaints about our life is so short,鈥� De Shields suggests. 鈥淭his life is so long. We need to take advance of its gifts.鈥�
See De Shields, joined by original company members Marc Shaiman and Freida Williams, along with Kimberly Marable and Crystal Monee Hall, sing "Bad Boy" from Haarlem Nocturne at 54 Below:
And so maybe, too, it鈥檚 appropriate that The Wiz is coming back also. Even a casual glance at news headlines these days, and you might think you鈥檝e travelled back to the pre-Wiz era, with books being banned, drag performances cancelled鈥攁ny number of rights once thought of as innate are now being challenged yet again.
But according to De Shields, there鈥檚 hope. He says it鈥檚 all part of the cycle, and what happened in 1975 will happen again. 鈥淭he children of these biased monsters are going to find out that they don鈥檛 know anything, they haven鈥檛 experienced anything, because so many walls have been built. They鈥檙e going to go where they can have that experience, and it鈥檒l be another decade of permissiveness.鈥�
No matter what the energy of the decade is, De Shields has never stopped celebrating himself. Haarlem Nocturne featured some notable costume moments, too, by the way, including a pirate costume that De Shields tore off onstage to reveal hot-red briefs. He says you won鈥檛 see that particular look in the 54 Below recreation, but not due to any modesty. 鈥淭he performance rule at 54 Below is the show can鈥檛 be longer than 70 minutes,鈥� he says flirtatiously. 鈥淚f I break out my red silk g-string, we may never get past the first number.鈥�
He has certainly been known to break out that body-hugging Wiz costume for various performances, over the years, though. Even at 78 years old, he frankly looks as fantastic in it as he ever did. And does that mean we can expect that to return along with The Wiz鈥檚 Broadway come back?
That magical title role is being played by Wayne Brady this time around, but don鈥檛 count De Shields out just yet. After all, The Wiz鈥檚 final lesson, to 鈥淏elieve in Yourself,鈥� is not a concept De Shields struggles with. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not over 鈥榯il it鈥檚 over,鈥� he says with a wink.
Your move, Broadway.
Andr茅 De Shields Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Haarlem Nocturne continues at 54 Below through February 24. The final performance will stream live. For tickets, visit .
