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Stephanie Mills is set to return “Home” to her theater roots when she takes the stage for NBC’s “The Wiz Live!”
Mills’ history with the iconic production began 40 years ago when she starred as Dorothy in the original Broadway musical. In Thursday’s live event, the singer-actress will play the role of Aunt Em.
In an interview with The Huffington Post earlier this week, Mills says the experience of starring in the Kenny Leon-directed production has been “phenomenal.”
“I’m so glad and so happy that the journey continues. Forty years ago, who knew that ‘The Wiz’ would be thought about, let alone be relevant in 2015,” she told HuffPost. “It’s almost surreal re-living it, because as I sit back and watch the rehearsals, in my mind I go back to when I first did the rehearsals back in 1975. And it’s like wow, this is really happening. “
Mills’ lead role in the 1975 production, which won 7 Tony Awards, nabbed the actress a Drama Desk Award nomination. The musical’s success later inspired a feature length motion picture in 1978 starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor.
According to Mills, Leon and award-winning playwright Harvey Fierstein decided to maintain elements of the original script instead of the film for NBC’s live broadcast.
