The Wiz (film) certain we didn't use anything from it. They made a brilliant movie, and even though our concept is different – they're Kansas, we're New York; they're white, we're black, and the score and the books are totally different – we wanted to make sure that we never overlapped in any area." Michael Jackson, a former Motown star and close friend of Diana Ross was cast as the Scarecrow. By the start of development on "The Wiz" in 1977, he and his brothers The Jacksons, had left Motown for Epic Records, though Jackson had yet to make a solo album since
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