If Ever a Wiz There Was

A cultural history of the record-shattering Broadway musical The Wiz, and the beloved movie it inspired, revealing the never-before-told story of the man behind the sensation

Since its release in 1978, The Wiz has become a cultural mainstay. Jam-packed with the top stars of the day, Diana Ross as Dorothy, Richard Pryor as the Wizard of Oz, and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, the film is a joyful classic synonymous with the holidays and good cheer.

In If Ever a Wiz There Was, Caseen Gaines uncovers the dramatic, previously untold story of the making of the Broadway musical that inspired the film. The Broadway show earned seven Tony Awards and went on to become the longest-running musical with an all-Black cast in Broadway history.

The famed show, a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, was produced by Ken Harper, a late-night radio disc jockey with almost no experience in show business, and even less money. Harper’s unconventional efforts, unbridled creativity, and unapologetic Blackness redefined what was considered possible for generations of Black Americans. Fifty years after The Wiz, Black children can see themselves as everything from superheroes to little mermaids.

With new and exclusive interviews, Gaines recounts the roller-coaster journey to get The Wiz to the stage; and Ken Harper finally receives his due as one of America’s greatest showmen and pioneers of racial representation in entertainment.