{"id":1000410630,"date":"2025-07-11T07:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T12:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dallasvoice.com\/?p=1000410630"},"modified":"2025-07-11T10:55:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T15:55:10","slug":"meet-the-wizard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dallasvoice.com\/meet-the-wizard\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Wiz\u2019 actor Alan Mingo Jr. continues the queer legacy of the title character"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alan Mingo Jr. in the North American Tour of The Wiz<\/em>. (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer<\/strong>
Rich@DallasVoice.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a moment when Alan Mingo Jr. didn\u2019t think his show was ever going to make it to Broadway. With a number of changes and edits, he was sure The Wiz<\/em>\u2019s path was unsure.
But like the show\u2019s song \u201cWe\u2019re Gonna Make It\u201d promises, The Wiz<\/em> eventually landed on Broadway, and Mingo got his moment onstage as the titular all-powerful character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today he\u2019s reprising the role on the road with the show\u2019s first national tour of the revival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe took a lot of time figuring out how to keep the show constantly moving, and our version feels more contemporary and timeless than before so that this show can live on for another 50 years without retooling,\u201d Mingo said. \u201cWe did a wonderful job of crafting this version.\u201d
The Wiz<\/em> opens Tuesday, July 15, at Bass Performance Hall and runs through July 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Mingo, the show blends the original Broadway version with the movie, but it also updates the story by removing some dated language and refreshing the music with revitalizing original orchestrations.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Alan Mingo Jr<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Mixing in the movie elements benefits those in the audience who were introduced to the story by the 1978 film that starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Richard Pryor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came to the story from the movie, and, really, it\u2019s why I\u2019m a performer today. For people like me who only know Michael Jackson was in this, we make those fans happy as well,\u201d he said.
He added that this fresher version also has a dynamic energy that speaks to new audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But boy, did The Wiz<\/em> take its time easing on down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTime was not our friend. We had a 12-city tour pre-Broadway and were still changing things,\u201d he said. \u201cPerformances were struggling because of new changes. I started that run but then handed it off to Wayne Brady, and he wanted changes to the show. It was so much pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were moments Mingo wasn\u2019t sure this was for him. Today, he\u2019s proud of reprising the role that he has made his own, but he is also proud to perpetuate the accidental queer legacy the character has created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On stage, the role was originated by gay Broadway legend Andre de Shields. Colman Domingo has performed the role in Encores<\/em>, and pansexual Wayne Brady played the role prior to (as well as after) Mingo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To further the legacy, Richard Pryor and Queen Latifah portrayed the screen versions. Just sayin\u2019 \u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI realize the shoulders I\u2019m standing on,\u201d Mingo said. \u201cI love this character, and I play it unapologetically as a gay man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a young actor, I\u2019d always cloak or shift myself, but now I don\u2019t worry about that,\u201d he continued. \u201cI can\u2019t control what people think, so while they may feel the need to figure me out, I\u2019m going to be me. And I\u2019ve made a wonderful career from that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His stage career has included some of the most iconic of queer productions. Mingo may best be known for his Dora Award-winning performance as Lola in the Canadian and Broadway productions of Kinky Boots.<\/em> On Broadway, he\u2019s played Tom Collins in Rent<\/em> and Seaweed<\/em> in Hairspray<\/em>, and regionally, he played Zaza\/Albin in La Cage Aux Folles<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s creating quite a queer legacy of his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t ever thought about that,\u201d he laughed. \u201cI think that\u2019s just the path God put me on.\u201d \u25a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For tickets, visit<\/em> BassHall.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alan Mingo Jr. in the North American Tour of The Wiz. (Photo by Jeremy Daniel) RICH LOPEZ | Staff writerRich@DallasVoice.com There was a moment when Alan Mingo Jr. didn\u2019t think his show was ever going to make it to Broadway. With a number of changes and edits, he was sure The Wiz\u2019s path was unsure.But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":1000410631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"above","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[71,70,584,75,161],"tags":[62038,59831,5942,55285,57088,2697,298,8216,15053,5834,774,57537,62037,58314],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-1000410630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artsentertainment","category-best-bets","category-fort-worth","category-gay-agenda","category-stage","tag-alan-mingo-jr","tag-andre-de-shields","tag-bass-performance-hall","tag-broadway-at-the-bass","tag-colman-domingo","tag-diana-ross","tag-fort-worth","tag-michael-jackson","tag-musical","tag-rich-lopez","tag-stage","tag-stage-notes","tag-the-wiz","tag-wayne-brady","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018The Wiz\u2019 actor Alan Mingo Jr. continues the queer legacy of the title character - Dallas Voice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dallasvoice.com\/meet-the-wizard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018The Wiz\u2019 actor Alan Mingo Jr. continues the queer legacy of the title character - Dallas Voice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alan Mingo Jr. in the North American Tour of The Wiz. 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