Arts & Entertainment
‘The Wiz Live!’ production airs on NBC Thursday with all-star cast
Ease on down the road with a new generation
(Courtesy of NBC)
“The Wiz Live!” airs on NBC on Thursday at 8 p.m. and redefines the iconic musical for 2015.
The star-studded cast includes Queen Latifah (the Wiz), Mary J. Blige (Evillene the Wicked Witch of the West), David Alan Grier (the Cowardly Lion), Uzo Aduba (Glinda the Good Witch), Ne-Yo (the Tin Man), Amber Riley (Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North), Elijah Kelley (the Scarecrow) and Common (the Bouncer in Oz). Kenny Leon directs the live production.
Stephanie Mills, who played the original Broadway version of Dorothy, will play Auntie Em this time around. Newcomer Shanice Williams, 19, is set to play Dorothy. Williams told NBC News that the televised play was her first professional audition.
The 1978 film version of the musicial famously starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horn and Richard Pryor.
The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
PHOTOS: The Audacity Brunch
D.C. Council approves expanded grant funding for Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Baltimore Pride is here
Calendar: June 12-18
Hundreds of thousands expected to attend D.C. Pride events
PHOTOS: Pride Run
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
David Archuleta, Monroe Alise named D.C. Pride parade marshals
