The Wiz old for the part. However, she contacted Rob Cohen of Universal Pictures, who offered to have them finance the film if she were to play Dorothy, at which point he acquiesced. The resulting film version of "The Wiz" also starred former Motown star Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man, Richard Pryor as the Wizard, jazz singer Thelma Carpenter as Miss One (the name "Addapearle" was not used for this production) and Lena Horne as Glinda. Ted Ross and Mabel King reprised their roles of the Lion and Evillene from the Broadway production. Sidney Lumet served
The Wiz and George Faison. "Everybody Rejoice/A Brand New Day" is composed by Luther Vandross. Scoring for "The Wiz" calls for two keyboards, bass, guitar, drums, two percussionists, four woodwind players, horn, three trumpets, two trombones, violins, and cello. In his review of the 1984 revival, Frank Rich wrote: "What made "The Wiz" surprisingly moving the first time around was that its creators found a connection between Baum's Kansas fantasy and the pride of urban black Americans. When Glinda, the good witch, musically instructed Dorothy to 'believe in herself,' she seemed to be delivering a broader inspirational message. "The Wiz" was hardly