The Wiz Tickets

Multiple Emmy Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated Wayne Brady has made his mark on stage and screen as an actor, producer, singer, dancer, songwriter, and television personality. A true multi- hyphenate, Brady’s career path and personal life journey have helped him see the world in a unique way. His aspirations have always gone beyond solely starring in various entertainment projects, and under his Makin’ It Up Productions banner, he’s set out to create new content across different platforms that showcase innovation and inclusivity in fun and powerful ways.

A five-time Emmy winner (the first to win Daytime and Primetime awards in two consecutive years), Brady has an impressive TV resume including Whose Line Is It Anyway? The Masked Singer, Dancing With The Stars, Black Lighting, The Good Fight, and Showtime’s American Gigolo – each spotlighting different aspects of his immense talent. In addition to being a force in front of the camera, Brady is heavily active behind the scenes wearing the hats of host & executive producer for Let’s Make A Deal, Game of Talents, and Comedy IQ, which he also co-created.

All of this follows on the heels of the success of his award-winning daytime talk show The Wayne Brady Show. Long an accomplished singer and performer, Brady’s musical acumen has always been a personal passion and he used that as fuel to help win the second season of The Masked Singer. Off his victory, Brady dropped a brand- new original single, entitled “Flirtin’ w/ Forever,” which quickly climbed the streaming charts, as well as an accompanying music video. This follows the success of his debut album which was headlined by a version of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" which earned him a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category. Brady has also triumphed on-stage starting with his Broadway debut starring as legal showman Billy Flynn in the long-running hit musical, Chicago. Soon after Brady starred as the ground-breaking character Lola in Kinky Boots, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein. Brady would later assume his biggest theatrical role to date headlining as Aaron Burr in the Chicago production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning juggernaut Hamilton. Recently Brady returned to Broadway as part of Freestyle Love Supreme working with the production team of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, and Anthony Veneziale. The unique show combines the fusion of hip-hop, improv, and comedy which won it a special Tony Award for its innovation and contributions to the world of theater.

Earlier this year, Brady announced he will again partner with the Freestyle Love Supreme team as well as Speechless to create “FLS+,” a new company committed to making improv globally accessible. Brady’s career evolution has also expanded to TikTok, amassing a stellar following in a short period of time. Whether utilizing social media to raise awareness of important social issues or collaborating with his extended family, the medium has helped him continue to reach and interact with new fans in surprising and innovative ways.

Deborah Cox is an award-winning recording artist, Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee, and international talent spanning the worlds of music, Broadway, television, film, and fashion. An established songstress, Cox has scaled the R&B and Pop charts with six top 20 Billboard R&B singles and an impressive thirteen No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play Chart. Her sophomore album spawned 2 No. 1 R&B songs including the record-breaking “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” that spent 14 weeks at the top (the longest in history at the time) and “We Can’t Be Friends.” In addition to her illustrious musical catalog, the Canadian-born star has been recognized for her undying commitment to various social justice initiatives. In 2020, Deborah was honored with Black Music Honors’ Entertainer Icon Award in recognition of her twenty-five groundbreaking years in the music industry. A seasoned entertainer, both on-screen and off, Deborah is currently winning rave reviews for her roles on BET’s First Wives Club and Emmy-nominated HBO MAX series, Station Eleven. In May 2022, Deborah reached a pinnacle career milestone when she made history as the first Black woman inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. In the same year, Deborah was given the Key to the City and had September 23^rd declared as Deborah Cox Day. She also received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, rounding off an incredible year. As Deborah continues to perform on stages and screens internationally, she’s also working on her seventh career studio album and just launched her new wine, Kazaisu.

Melody A. Betts is a Chicago-based actress, singer/songwriter, writer and director. Last seen as Chantel in the sold out World Premiere of The Factotum at the Lyric Opera of Chicago where she also played Grandma Tzeital/Fruma Sarah in the most recent production of Fiddler on The Roof. Melody grew up singing in the church but spent years in classical voice training. She has refined a voice that possesses versatility and conviction which has the power to stir the soul. You can hear her mellifluous vocals on projects of worldwide favorites such as “Arrested Development,” Joshua Generation, “The Conan O' Brien Show,” “I Can See Your Voice” and the Broadway Inspirational Voices. Chicago credits include Fannie, The Nativity (Goodman Theatre); Ragtime, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Boys from Syracuse, Seussical the Musical, ELF (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Once on this Island, Nunsense, All Shook Up, The Drowsy Chaperone (Marriott Lincolnshire); Comedy of Errors, Pinocchio (Chicago Shakes); Motherhood the Musical (Royal George); The Secret of My Success, Rock of Ages (Paramount Theater). Broadway/Off Broadway: Waitress the Musical (Brooks Atkinson); Invisible Thread (Second Stage). National Tours: The Sound of Music; Waitress. Regional Theater: The Color Purple, A Christmas Carol, Nunsense (Milwaukee Rep); Smokey Joe’s Café, Hairspray (New Theater); Witness Uganda, Extraordinary (A.R.T.). TV: Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire (NBC), I Can See Your Voice, Chicago Code (FOX); Power (STARZ), Southside (HBOMax). IG: @melodybettspage Unions: AEA, SAG-AFTRA, BMI. 

Nichelle is a 24 year old native of Virginia, and thrilled to portray Dorothy in the revival of The Wiz, marking her Broadway debut. The New York based singer-songwriter has performed in the national tour of Hairspray (Dynamite/Cindy Watkins); Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon/Crystal); Bare: A Pop Opera (Ivy); and most recently Labelless, a new musical. 

Kyle Ramar Freeman is a Miami native who has been singing and acting from an early age. Now based in Harlem, Kyle made his New York debut in the Original Broadway Cast of A Strange Loop, a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Best Musical. Kyle is currently leading the cast of A Strange Loop in London. Other credits include: 1st national tour of Once On This Island (Asaka), Joseph and Dreamcoat (Calypso). Kyle is a graduate of AMDA.

Phillip Johnson Richardson is a native of North Carolina and a graduate of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Phillip can be seen in the A24 feature film Sharper starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan and John Lithgow streaming now on Apple+. He was a series regular in the Apple+ series Little Voices. His first job out of school was with the Chicago Company of Hamilton. His television appearances were guest appearances on The Last O.G, Chicago PD, Provent Innocent and The Other Two. Phillip has released several of his own singles on Apple Music and all streaming platforms under the moniker of “Phil.”

The New Haven, Connecticut native spent his entire life working towards this moment. Encouraged by his family, he went from singing at McDonalds every Wednesday to dropping a series of independent releases, culminating with “On Top of the World” in 2012. A year later, music legend Clive Davis personally signed him. Throughout 2015, he made headlines, performing at the BET Awards, and dropping “Change My Mind” [feat. Migos]. The latter impressively racked up 7.7 million Spotify streams and cemented a fervent fan base around him. Going independent, he maintained his momentum on 2018’s FYI EP before dropping the 8:34 EP in 2019. The latter received acclaim from Rap-Up, Soul Bounce, and more right out of the gate. Along the way, he continued to cross paths with Super Producers, and Songwriters Grammy Award-winning Claude Kelly, Damon Thomas, James Fauntleroy to work on his upcoming music he will be releasing in 2023.  

To come.

To come.