A touring production of The Wiz is set to land at The Playhouse on Rodney Square this weekend, bringing a cast stacked with reality singing competition veterans to one of downtown Wilmington's most storied stages. Leading the pack is Asher HaVon, who won Season 25 of NBC's The Voice and now plays the Lion in the beloved musical, according to PHL17.
The Wilmington engagement runs four performances across three days, from Friday, October 23, through Sunday, October 25. Per The Grand Opera House, the schedule includes an 8 p.m. show Friday, both a 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. performance Saturday, and a 2 p.m. matinee closing things out Sunday. That gives Delaware theatergoers a full weekend to catch the production before it eases on down the road to its next tour stop.
HaVon's path to the Lion's costume is its own story. Before capturing the Season 25 crown on The Voice in May 2024, the Selma, Alabama native had already performed for five U.S. presidents over the course of his vocal career, the entertainment site StateCollege.com notes. In an unexpected twist of local news trivia, Hoodline previously covered a custody dispute involving Josh Sanders, the Season 25 runner-up HaVon beat to win the title.
A Cast Built From Reality TV's Biggest Stages
HaVon isn't the only competition-show alum in this production. The touring company also features American Idol Season 23 finalist Gabby Samone as Dorothy, The Voice Season 20 Live Playoffs contestant Jose E. Figueroa Jr. as Scarecrow, and The Voice Season 28 contestant Toni Lorene Baker as Glinda, according to the casting announcement reported by BroadwayWorld. That cast lineup was published in August 2026 ahead of the tour's launch, the outlet notes, assembling a roster of singers already familiar to television audiences nationwide.
The 2026-2027 national tour kicked off September 26 in Springfield, Ohio, as part of a sprawling 75-city North American run produced by Crossroads Live North America, per Playbill. The production features an all-new cast and ensemble and presents the reimagined revival, which returned to Broadway in April 2024.
Updated for a New Generation, Rooted in a Groundbreaking Original
This revival was helmed by director Schele Williams and choreographer JaQuel Knight. The production uses William F. Brown's classic book, with additional material by Emmy-nominated writer Amber Ruffin, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Wiz first debuted in Baltimore in 1974 before opening on Broadway in 1975 as an all-Black musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a score by Charlie Smalls. It won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and ran for 1,672 performances over four years, according to Concord Theatricals, with the original production giving the world songs like Ease on Down the Road and Home. The stage show later inspired a 1978 feature film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Diana Ross as Dorothy alongside Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, and Ted Ross reprising his Broadway role as the Cowardly Lion, as the New York Theatre Guide notes. That film also marked Quincy Jones' first musical collaboration with Michael Jackson.
The Wilmington Stage
The venue hosting this weekend's shows carries its own weight of history. The Playhouse on Rodney Square is a 1,252-seat theater in downtown Wilmington, according to Visit Delaware.
