This Black History Month, I’m sharing art, songs, movies, and other creative expressions from and about Black women that spark joy for me. Because Black women are often not remembered for their contributions, I thought this would be one way to give flowers to those who influenced me.
For Day 5, I’m shining light on the brilliant Amber Ruffin, who wrote the book for The Wiz revival that’s currently on a national tour.
Early last summer, I stumbled on a short video of the Broadway cast of The Wiz singing Be A Lion, and I was instantly transfixed. I’ve seen The Wiz a few times but never heard a rendition that hit my soul like this. I instantly knew I wanted to see the show. When I finally saw it, I cried during this song because of its power and my gratitude for being able to witness it live.
Amber Ruffin’s intention when creating The Wiz revival is why this rendition and the entire musical spoke to my soul. I genuinely believe that intentions are like magic. They imbue whatever you create with an energy connected to your intentions. And Amber intended to create something that centered the full beauty of Blackness.
And she did that.
When I saw it last summer, I remember thinking, “This version of The Wiz is Blackity Black.” In this interview, Amber talks about how and why she centered Blackness in the version of The Wiz. She says she wanted it to be “Us times a million.” The Wiz has always been a Black show - but Amber wanted to celebrate the humanity of all the characters (even Evilene!).
She also wanted the performers to be able to SANG. Often, on Broadway, Black performers are pushed to make their voices and presence smaller to fit into a particular mold. Amber wanted performers to be authentic, and you can definitely feel that when you watch the performers sing.
Thank you, Amber, for the deep care and intentionality you poured into The Wiz. It was a delight to see a performance that felt like a love letter to Blackness.
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