Broadway-bound revival of ‘The Wiz’ finds its next Dorothy, thanks in part to TikTok

NEW YORK — A 24-year-old triple threat who toured in “Hairspray,” competed on “American Idol” and came to the attention of casting agents with her TikTok videos has landed the plum role of Dorothy in the Broadway-bound production of “The Wiz.” Nichelle Lewis will star in the national touring show this fall and then make her Broadway debut next year as the show’s heel-clicking heroine, following in the footsteps of such icons as Stephanie Mills and Diana Ross. I know I’m following in some really big footsteps.” “The Wiz” tours the U.S. starting this fall in Baltimore and will land on Broadway in 2024. “But I’m like, ‘You never know who’s watching those videos.’ I never knew that ‘The Wiz’ was looking at my videos.” The show is adapted from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, with a book by William F. Brown, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. “I felt like it was something that I could share with others and it was something that I noticed made other people happy.” Lewis won a Golden Ticket on the most recent series of “American Idol” but didn’t progress from the Hollywood round.