The Wiz Historian

The Wiz Historian ✨The Melanated Oz Historian✨
The Wiz's Legacy Educator & Protector
Oz Historian | DCP'19 | Prep Enthusiast | Broadway

Happy New YearWe made it Wiz fame. Thank you for celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Wiz. This year I feel tried us ...
01/01/2026

Happy New Year
We made it Wiz fame. Thank you for celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Wiz. This year I feel tried us but we made it through the obstacles and I’m proud of that. This musical, this legacy, I feel saves me every year. It reminds me that it’s okay to keep finding yourself and to keep finding your way home.
After two years of this platform, I’m grateful I’ve created something beautiful for us. There are moments when I don’t always feel recognized or credited, but those of you who’ve walked this road with me remind me why I keep going. Your love makes me smile, and it gives me the strength to continue. I’m so proud of how this platform has grown, and I’m excited for what’s ahead for the legacy, the magic, and the journey. Thank you for making me feel and accepting me as Ozian and not an outsider. Take a bow, take care of yourselves and each other. ✨

Ya’ll know I celebrate melanated Ozians on here. Happy Birthday to Sheryl Lee Ralph. To me she is a living testament to ...
12/30/2025

Ya’ll know I celebrate melanated Ozians on here. Happy Birthday to Sheryl Lee Ralph. To me she is a living testament to purpose, perseverance, and promise. From Broadway to television to film, her impact is undeniable and everlasting. As the first Black woman to portray Madame Morrible in Wicked on Broadway, she didn’t just step into the role she transformed it. Even shifting the color of the tornado as a quiet reminder that representation changes the world. Her journey has taught me something sacred, to never, ever give up on yourself. Even when doors close. Even when the road gets hard. Even when the dream feels distant. Thank you, Ms. Sheryl for showing us what faith, patience, and truth look like in motion. Your light continues to guide the way 🫶🏽

Oz Heaven gained another angel 🙏🏽Carmen de Lavallade, legendary dancer, actress, choreographer, educator, and beloved wi...
12/30/2025

Oz Heaven gained another angel 🙏🏽
Carmen de Lavallade, legendary dancer, actress, choreographer, educator, and beloved wife of the great late Geoffrey Holder, has gone on to glory. Carmen didn’t just witness history, she shaped it. As a charter member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, established modern dance in America, and originating iconic works like Portrait of Billie. Her artistry moved across Broadway, film, and theatre. From House of Flowers and Carmen Jones to performances like A Streetcar Named Desire. She was a master, choreographer, shaped generations at the Yale School of Drama and created work for the Metropolitan Opera and the American Ballet Theatre. She was honored with the Kennedy Center Honors and a honorary doctorate from Juilliard. Ms. Carmen de Lavallade leaves behind a legacy of elegance and sacred.
Rest in power, Carmen. Your dance continues. 🪽

Two legends on the Yellow Brick Road. Eartha Kitt backstage at The Wiz on Broadway with Stephanie Mills. History, power ...
12/30/2025

Two legends on the Yellow Brick Road. Eartha Kitt backstage at The Wiz on Broadway with Stephanie Mills. History, power and Black excellence in one timeless moment. Dorothy and Catwoman. This magic was undeniable.

Happy Heavenly Birthday Mabel King, the original Evillene 👑🔥She was a gift she was. Her performance didn’t just command...
12/26/2025

Happy Heavenly Birthday Mabel King, the original Evillene 👑🔥
She was a gift she was. Her performance didn’t just command the stage and screen, it made you appreciate being in your own skin, your own Blackness, and to your own power. She embodied a confidence that was loud, fearless, and unapologetic, reminding us that there is nothing wrong with taking up space exactly as you are. Evillene wasn’t just a villain, she was presence, authority, and black woman with magic. Mabel King showed us that strength, attitude, and authenticity are things to be celebrated, not dimmed.
Happy Heavenly Birthday to a legend who helped generations love themselves a little deeper.
Your legacy still speaks 🕊️

51 years ago, December 24, 1974 The Wiz had it’s first preview on the Great White Way at the Majestic Theatre in New Yor...
12/25/2025

51 years ago, December 24, 1974 The Wiz had it’s first preview on the Great White Way at the Majestic Theatre in New York City ✨
📸

Today we CELEBRATE Tony Award Winner Mr. George Faison on his 80TH BIRTHDAY. A true giant. A trailblazer. A living legac...
12/21/2025

Today we CELEBRATE Tony Award Winner Mr. George Faison on his 80TH BIRTHDAY. A true giant. A trailblazer. A living legacy. George Faison made history as THE FIRST African American to win a Tony Award for Best Choreography, bringing The Wiz to life in a way the world had never seen before. Before that, he moved through Purlie (1970) then went on to choreograph works that shaped Broadway and Black theater forever. Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, Al Green / Ashford & Simpson, The Moony Shapiro Songbook, Porgy & Bess, for colored girls…, and more. He even told our stories as a writer with Sing, Mahalia, Sing in 1985.
Beyond the credits and accolades, Mr. George Faison made movement tell the truth. He was the first to make the Yellow Brick Road dance. The silver shoes dance.
The poppies dance. Even the tornado danced. He took a story we already know, loved and showed us what it looks like when Black imagination is unapologetic, soulful, and free. His work didn’t just entertain. It opened doors, broke ceilings, and made room for so many of us to walk in without fear.
George Faison, you are one of the reasons Black art matters. One of the reasons it exists loudly and beautifully on Broadway. You went through what you went through so artists who look like me wouldn’t have to. Because of you, I believe more deeply in doing what I love doing boldly, honestly, and without apology.
You are a treasure. You are deserving of flowers today and ALWAYS. You are the bravest of them all.
Happy 80th Birthday to Mr. George Faison 🎉🎂🥳🎈🎊🎁
With gratitude, love, and honor 🙏🏽
The Wiz Historian ~ Von

Two icons. One legendary moment. Stephanie Mills being visited by the legendary Cher in her dressing room during a perfo...
12/20/2025

Two icons. One legendary moment. Stephanie Mills being visited by the legendary Cher in her dressing room during a performance of The Wiz on Broadway. Voices that shaped generations.
📸 : Zack Oliver

“My brother knew I was a big fan when the film came out - someone from his school, Columbia Grammar in NYC - got on set ...
12/19/2025

“My brother knew I was a big fan when the film came out - someone from his school, Columbia Grammar in NYC - got on set and interviewed Ted Ross for the!school paper. This photo was in the 1978 Yearbook for the school.” - Stephen Nachamie
📸: Stephen Nachamie

“Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the f...
12/18/2025

“Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer’s wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds.” - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 1900
📸 : Property of

Dorothy and the Scarecrow in The Wiz just hit different. From the moment they meet, their bond feels joyful and real. It...
12/17/2025

Dorothy and the Scarecrow in The Wiz just hit different. From the moment they meet, their bond feels joyful and real. It’s not just about getting to see the wizard. It’s about choosing each other on both of their journeys. He believes in her before she believes in herself. She sees his worth long before he ever does.
What makes their relationship stronger than any Oz adaptation I’ve seen is the humanity and of course black joy. There’s no sidekick energy, it’s just two souls growing together and reminding each other that you don’t have to have it all figured out to be worthy.

Dorothy helps Scarecrow remember his brain was always there. Scarecrow helps make the journey lighter and less scary down the yellow brick road. That’s the magic of The Wiz to me. The real magic is that friend who walks beside you, singing along with you, and easing down the Yellow Brick Road 🫶🏽

30.I made it to the Emerald Age. The truth is… a lot of people don’t get to see 30. And this year, this world, and this ...
12/15/2025

30.
I made it to the Emerald Age. The truth is… a lot of people don’t get to see 30. And this year, this world, and this Yellow Brick Road has been rough. Cracked pavement, strong winds, moments where I had to stop and remind myself why I started walking in the first place. But I keep on stepping. I keep on believing.
I’m a little stiff, a little tired but baby… I’m still just fine.
Thankful for every lesson, every loss that shaped me, every soul who walked beside me, and every ancestor who made sure I didn’t stop. Here’s to 30. Wiser, braver, softer, and still headed home 💛
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