The Wiz 40th Anniversary Celebration - Gypsy of the Year 2014

The 26th annual edition of Gypsy of the Year raised a record-breaking $5,229,611 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS thanks to six weeks of fundraising by 64 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies.
The show's spirited opening number celebrated the 40th anniversary of The Wiz, one of the first large-scale, big-budget Broadway musicals to feature an all-black cast and winner of seven Tony Awards in 1975.
Triumphantly returning to the yellow brick road, Dee Dee Bridgewater, André De Shields and Ken Page were met with rapturous applause from the energized audience. They were joined for the special performance by Charl Brown, Carly Hughes , Christina Sajous, Ashley Stroud, Alton Fitzgerald White and Lillias White. The opening number was directed by T. Oliver Reid and choreographed by Brian Harlan Brooks with music direction by Ben Cohn and orchestrations by Adam Michael Kaufman.
The grand total was announced Tuesday, December 9, 2014, by special guests Hugh Jackman, Nathan Lane and Judith Light after two stellar performances of original dances, songs and skits by more than 200 “gypsies” from Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $285 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: / bcefa
broadwaycares.org
BCEFA
BCEFA
BCEFA
bcefa.tumblr.com

[@suzannes5244]

Nobody does it better than Mr Andre DeShields. I’m so glad I’m old enough to have seen him in many Broadway plays. The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehaving and more. 💕💕

[@QueenMommyDearest]

I wasn't ready for how good this is. The wizards shoes tho

[@williambobbiestewart9958]

Me too, I had a moment.

[@QueenMommyDearest]

I a yç'a@3a ea 2A233aaAW3AA@@@@

[@AlcmeneUndertaker]

First The Wiz, and now Mister Hermes.... yas... he is still so good.

[@stevefreedman470]

I was fortunate enough to see the original production on Broadway MANY years ago and I have no words. The cast was AMAZING and a young Stephanie Mills....That voice!

[@polly8844]

I also traveled from Boston, ma in the 70s to see the original play at the Majestic theater, so glad I did. It was just FABULOUS lll

[@polly8844]

That's a fabulous old lion!!!!

[@Rcity2332]

I couldn't stop smiling during this. It brought me so much joy!

[@bcefa]

Rcity2332 It was incredible to see!

[@yellowlight2563]

@@bcefa Yes

[@yellowlight2563]

YAAASS!!! This is why we NEED Blk Broadway!!! This was amazing!!

[@brianpelaccio4092]

where is The Wiz Revival on Broadway?!?

[@wdwnutjm]

I drove to NY to see the 40th anniversary concert in Central Park this week - Andre De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater (among others) were there - incredible! I'm so glad you posted this - I am such a fan of this show and had the thrill of seeing the original production when I was a kid!

[@bcefa]

wdwnutjm Of course! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MaskedMan66]

Watching Andre here I can only think, "Queen who?"

[@mrentertainment1630]

Greatest 15 mins of my life!

[@vicentehizon6202]

Andre’s still got it. But I wonder if he can pull off the role of the Wizard of Oz in _Wicked._

[@musicaltheatrefan2k226]

Or even better in ALW’s Wizard of Oz with dreamcasting Lindsay Mendez, Katie Rose Clarke, Derek Klena, and Sofia Wylie.

[@tonyandrade8131]

That was incredible!!! It was such a shame that The Wiz was short-lived on Broadway when it was such an amazing show...that literally swept the Tony Awards.

[@clarencehenderson7634]

Short lived? It ran 4 years over 1600 performances.

[@melaninawakening9350]

Ken Page, Andre De Shields and DeDe Bridegwater, founding members of the 1974 cast

[@thewizbrodway2431]

Yass the original wiz is here

[@harlemhomme]

Just wonderful & such talent ...and Andre can STILL wear the original costume--smh lol.

[@theeabele._]

THATS THE ORIGINAL COSTUME??? WHAT!

[@Hervinbalfour]

​@@theeabele._it certainly looks like it! lol

[@timothysmith7888]

Andre DeShields is Theatre ROYALTY! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@tonyyoung3985]

Part of me wishes Richard Pryor could sing and dance. He would have killed it in this song.

[@WTKB82]

+Tony Young He would have brought a lot of humor to it as well.

[@tonyyoung3985]

Yes, and I even saw the Arsenio Hall show when he joked about the premature reports of his death. He starting shouting "I not dead! I not dead!" He was so great.

[@MaskedMan66]

+Leonard Shelton I think he means when Pryor was in the movie.

[@buddyboy80]

Best Scarecrow ever.

[@bcefa]

+Gregory Van Acker Isn't Charl Brown great?

[@buddyboy80]

+Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS so charismstic!

[@MusicalMaestro23411]

Ken Page aka Oogie Boogie Man

[@kevindavis296]

aka King Gator too.

[@ThiccTropius]

And old deuteronomy from cats

[@MaskedMan66]

@@ThiccTropius What is it with him and playing huge fluffy felines? ;-)

[@ThiccTropius]

@@MaskedMan66 XD I got that one!!!!! He was also in the wizard of oz back in the nineties as, you guessed it, THE COWARDLY LION!!!!! (search wizard of oz Madison Square Garden)

[@MaskedMan66]

@@ThiccTropius I wonder how many other actors can make that claim? I do have a Canadian friend who has played the Lion in both the MGM version and an original musical called "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" which was created in 2000 and which my wife and I saw in 2002.

[@TruthSerum101]

While it was great to see original cast members Ms. Bridgewater and Mr. De Shields, plus one of the original productions's Lion replacements, Ken Page, where were Hinton Battle and Stephanie Mills? Was Stephanie unavailable? She's needed here and not just for historical purposes.

[@bcefa]

Thanks for your positive words. While offers were put out to all original cast members, only some were available to participate. :)

[@0ne0nlyLarry]

at least Lillias White was there, she was Dororthy herself during the original shows run

[@MaskedMan66]

Mr. Page has the singular distinction of having played the Cowardly Lion in both "The Wiz" and the stage version of MGM's "The Wizard of Oz."

[@TruthSerum101]

@@MaskedMan66 Ken Page also played another large feline (Old Deuteronomy) in Cats! I didn't see him in The Wizard of Oz, but I did get to see him as one of Ted Ross' replacements in the original production of The Wiz. He sang his heart out!

[@MaskedMan66]

@@TruthSerum101 I found this today! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIq6hqWFhtufe7M

[@theBestArts]

Awesome!

[@mrblomax1]

Why wasn’t Stephanie Mills in this tribute?

[@MaskedMan66]

Possibly unavailable?

[@kevindavis296]

Yeah the original Dorothy should have been there

[@dhill5057]

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆❤️🙏🏾👍 keep up the good work 🥇

[@TheCoryh1]

Amazing and heartfelt performance for a wonderful cause!!!. What a thrill to be in that audience and experience some of the original cast members belting out these show stopping songs. Wow! Big Bravo to all the supporting singers, directors, and live orchestra. Only one question...out of the (3) beautiful singers sharing the role of Dorothy here, why was the song "Home" not sung during this outstanding presentation? I know..."leave them wanting more!" A much deserved shout out to Mr. André De Shields for still looking red hot in his white caped Wizard costume designed by the late/great Geoffrey Holder. There would be no fantasy musicals like Wicked, or a Disney..."anything"..... if it were not for the pure magic of the original, Broadway, 1975 blockbuster...THE WIZ. So sorry Miss Ross and M.J., but the movie version doesn't capture the awesome energy of this live performance. A Broadway Revival of this show is long overdue. This BCEFA performance is as close, and as great as it gets! Well Done.

[@DrummingJoe]

Hi! I was the drummer in the orchestra. Just wanted to let you know that "Home" was performed in its entirety later in the program, sung by Lillias White. I know it's a little baffling to see a Wiz medley minus that iconic song.

[@sakimiyu4604]

still got it

[@PrincessLydia]

Charl is so CUTE!

[@noname-gu6ho]

Is the wizard the same guy on Uncoupled with Neil Patrick Harris on Netflix.

[@bcefa]

It is! That's Andre De Shields.

[@qualityantique1795]

Wow

[@pokemonlovers4907]

Who is the girl in the white dress

[@jamestribeofephraim6607]

ALL I CAN SAY IS…MR. KEN PAGE 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾. He was the very first famous broadway actor I saw when I was 5 years old. He played Old Deuteronomy in CATS and the was the day I knew I was going to be an actor.