Interview: Alan Mingo Jr. of THE WIZ at Saenger Theatre

As THE WIZ celebrates its 50th anniversary, few performers embody its legacy and evolution quite like Alan Mingo Jr., who originated the title role on the pre-Broadway tour, lit up the Broadway stage and now brings his bold, reimagined Wiz to audiences across the country. In this exclusive Q&A, Mingo Jr. opens up about the full-circle journey that began with falling in love with the movie, how the role has grown with him over time and how this latest production breathes new life into a beloved classic—while celebrating authenticity, inclusion and the power of representation both onstage and off.

BroadwayWorld.com: You’re returning to the role of The Wiz after originating it on the pre-Broadway tour and playing it on Broadway. What does this character mean to you personally, and how has your portrayal evolved over time?

Mingo Jr.: Well, for me, I’m in this business after falling in love with the movie. So, it’s personal, because it’s like full circle. I’m finally doing it…I didn’t quite believe when they said I got cast for this, that I was going to Broadway until I touched the Broadway stage. I’ve done many versions of this, so I’m proud that during the 50th anniversary, I get a chance to bring it across the country. When we talked about how my character has evolved, I would say that this version is totally different than the other versions. The director had a focus when she wanted to remount THE WIZ. I’m sort of a purist, so I was disappointed when I found out we were not doing the original script, but there was a blessing in disguise. We’re changing it slightly for this new generation. It allowed me to create my own version, my own quirky version of The Wiz, which, again, in the beginning, I was not sure I wanted to do. I wanted to do the old version, but now I’ve been able to create something with a clean slate while still being mindful of the shoulders I’m standing on, those people who were before me.

BWW: How does this new production speak to today’s audiences while honoring the spirit of the original?

Mingo Jr.: Well, I would say one we sort of pulled the ’70s funk out of it. We stripped the underlying 70s out, and the orchestrator purposely took songs of today so that this music sounds familiar to those who know the show, but also gives it a fresh take. It invites a brand-new audience to these songs you can hear on the radio today. Then, our vocal orchestrator arranged some wonderful songs, which were just solos or duets. We made them into quartets. For me, the outbreak star of our show is our music. Secondly, how we made it appealing to a new generation. We were mindful, knowing that the younger generation has a very short attention span. But we didn’t want to lose the heart of the original show. Also, there are two different types of fans for THE WIZ. You have those who love the Diana Ross and Michael Jackson version, and those who remember it when it toured back in the 70s and when it started on Broadway. We merged some of the movie into the Broadway version, so both audiences are happy. Then, we were mindful of making sure that things move at a faster pace for this new generation so they wouldn’t get bored without losing the heart and soul.

BWW: As an open LGBTQ performer leading an all-black musical, how do you see THE WIZ making space for inclusive representation on and off the stage?

Mingo Jr.: Well, here’s the thing, you can’t escape it. There are a lot of us in this show. I would dare to say more than half are in this space. Normally, as a young artist, especially those who begin to get into the musical theatre world, you tend to always second guess, ‘Can I truly be authentically me in this piece? Are you allowing space for me to be me, or do I have to add another character or shave the true person behind me?’ If you know what I mean, it depends on what role you’re playing. But sometimes queer artists get in their own heads when they go into the entertainment space, because we’re not sure if they want to see authentically us on stage. One thing about THE WIZ is that you’ll see a lot of representation on stage, on top of not just queerness. You’re going to see body size. You’re going to see different shades. We have taken out what you expect to see in a musical. What do I mean by that? This is the same size person, the same height person, that you tend to get in a normal commercial theatre. We blew that out of the water. You’re going to see a lot of representation. People who are plus size, taller people, shorter people, people who You May Go, ‘Oh my God, are they actually black?’ They are indeed black...I’m proud that our version incorporated all the prototypes we’re not used to seeing in the Broadway world.

BWW: You’ve played bold boundary-breaking characters such as Lola in Kinky Boots and, most recently, Maxi in I’m Not Gay: A Musical. How do these roles reflect your journey, and how does that influence your performance as The Wiz?

Mingo Jr.: They’re all very separate, but you still get my sensibility because it’s still stemming from me. Because I created my own charismatic, more of a black Willy Wonka, you can get how I perceive what this character would be in this world. I always start with ‘What are the parameters of this character?’ But I can’t escape who I am. When I truly drop into a character, no matter what type of character it is, it’s still me, and that makes me different than the next Lola or the next person that may want to pick up Maxi or any other character I do. Because I was able to create the skeletons of this in the pre-Broadway tour, you are getting authentically me. Unapologetically me.

BWW: What inspires you to choose your next project?

Mingo Jr.: It all depends. Sometimes there are things that come by that you’re scared to do, or you’re like, I don’t know if I should. And sometimes, when I get that inkling, anytime I have fear in the way, I realize it’s the wrong emotion and that I need to steer myself in a new direction. I look for projects that are bold and actually have a message. There’s nothing better for me as an artist than when you entertain, but you also educate. And I happen to be very, very lucky that a lot of the body of my work has been as far as family entertainment to things like my first Broadway show RENT that had such an impact and meant so much to so many people, including me, especially in that time when AIDS was running rapid in the world. We didn’t know quite what to do, and we lost a lot of people, our lives, families, friends, and colleagues. I was able to do a piece that was entertaining, but it had a big statement. 

BWW: With the 50th anniversary, are there any memorable moments on this tour that have stuck with you thus far?

Mingo Jr.: I get excited to see new artists do work that took what seemed like forever to create because, you know, as with any show that’s making its way to Broadway, there’s a lot of tooling and retooling with our Broadway opening right in front of us. With this version, we were able to know exactly what we were doing. And we’ve edited everything that we needed to, we added more pieces that we needed to. And I’m excited to let the new audiences get to react and see this polished version of the show. Not that Broadway wasn’t polished, but the timetable, trying to bring a show to Broadway, dates, and openings are set. They can’t really be changed. Sometimes they are, but when our show came in, we had like 12 openings following us. So, there is really no wiggle room. So time was not necessarily your friend. This tour we’re bringing into New Orleans is now perfected to what we knew we wanted on Broadway, that we couldn’t quite get just because of time. I’m excited to introduce that to the audience so they can see our new version of THE WIZ.

BWW: With THE WIZ coming to New Orleans, is there anything you would like to say to audiences in the Crescent City?

Mingo Jr.: I hope they enjoy the show. The great thing about this show is that the audience is very vocal. I’m really excited to get to the Crescent City to see how they respond. What’s special about this show is that everyone has to tell you about their connection. Out of all the family shows I’ve done, I’ve never had the amount of people at the stage door saying ‘My grandmother showed me the movie,’ or ‘My grandmother actually saw the original tour that came through,’ or ‘My aunt saw this show, and she introduced me to the show and now I’m bringing my kids.’ Somehow, someone has to share with me how they were introduced to it when they saw this. It happens everywhere we go. So, I’m excited to get to New Orleans to hear people’s stories and how this story has touched their lives, much like it touched mine.

BWW: What is your favorite number to perform in the WIZ?

Mingo Jr.: So You Wanted to See The Wizard.

BWW: What is the most magical thing about this production? 

Mingo Jr.: The performers.

BWW: Any role you’re still dying to play?

Mingo Jr.: Okay, this is going to be weird. I would say there isn’t any. The reason why I say that is that as actors, we are always just faced with rejection. There are always things we wish to do. And sometimes we can, depending on the type. And I find when I never put that pressure on myself, these wonderful roles find their way to me. What’s meant to be mine is mine, and what’s not meant to be mine is not mine.

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