‘The Wiz’ joins the Tiny Desk’s rich legacy of musical theater

Running down every Broadway show to grace the Tiny Desk series; plus, watch new concerts from Laura Jane Grace and more

View this email online July 12, 2024 by Stephen Thompson Running down every Broadway show to grace the Tiny Desk series; plus, watch new concerts from Laura Jane Grace and more. Credit: Photo: Michael Zamora This morning, we published a Tiny Desk concert featuring the Broadway cast of The Wiz. It’s the latest show to bring a bit of musical theater to the Tiny Desk — a run that’s included Tony winners, decorated composers, TV stars and much more. Here’s a full list of the Broadway shows we’ve brought to the NPR Music offices. The Wiz (2024) The Wiz, which retells the story of The Wizard of Oz through a Black lens, made its stage debut 50 years ago. Now, the cast of a new revival makes its way from the Emerald City to the Tiny Desk. Sweeney Todd (2023)  Stephen Sondheim’s classic came to the Tiny Desk with a veritable Murderer’s Row in tow, including a trimmed-down nine-piece orchestra and a five-member cast that featured Broadway star Annaleigh Ashford and best-selling singer Josh Groban. Shucked (2023) Two of the best songwriters in country music — Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally — wrote this celebrated musical, which our brilliant, Broadway-loving former technical director (Josh Rogosin) brought to the Tiny Desk on the condition that they stage the corn kickline on the Desk. Wicked (2023) With Wicked celebrating its 20th year on Broadway — and making its way to the big screen in November 2024 — last autumn marked an ideal time to bring the show to the Tiny Desk. This was our most stripped-down Broadway adaptation, with just two actors (Alyssa Fox and McKenzie Kurtz) and legendary composer Stephen Schwartz on hand. Kimberly Akimbo (2023) The cast of Kimberly Akimbo performed the day before Tony nominations dropped, so this ended up being a good week for them all around: They played the Tiny Desk immediately before snagging eight nominations. (They later won five, including Best Musical and acting prizes for Victoria Clark and Bonnie Milligan.) The Lion King (2022) The Lion King celebrated 25 years on Broadway with a performance at the Tiny Desk that featured, among other things, prominently displayed masks of Simba and Nala. (No, the good people at Disney Theatrical didn’t let us keep them.) SIX The Musical (2022) SIX The Musical (about the six wives of Henry VIII, reinvisioned as real-life modern-day pop stars) had a star-crossed opening: The show was set to premiere March 12, 2020, before being shut down by the pandemic mere hours before curtain. But patience won out, the show went on to become a Tony-winning Broadway and touring sensation, and we grabbed a recording for posterity in 2022. Little Shop of Horrors (2022) As the show enjoyed an off-Broadway revival, the Little Shop of Horrors cast — led by its composer, the great Alan Menken — performed a Tiny Desk (home) concert to commemorate the work’s 40th anniversary. A Strange Loop (2022) Michael R. Jackson’s self-referential, Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop celebrated its Broadway premiere — the show went on to win the Tony for Best Musical — with a gripping Tiny Desk (home) concert. Company (2021) The decorated Broadway revival of Company only got to stage nine preview performances before being shut down for the pandemic. After a 20-month hiatus, it finally got to roar back — and perform a bit of a victory lap in this Tiny Desk (home) concert. Jagged Little Pill (2021) As with the other Tiny Desk (home) concerts on this list, Jagged Little Pill — Diablo Cody’s adaptation of Alanis Morrisette’s classic album — took a circuitous path to this moment: After a 19-month hiatus due to COVID-19, it finally scored 15 Tony nominations (with two wins) and a Grammy. Hadestown (2020) This show doesn’t just offer an extended look at the Tony-festooned Broadway sensation Hadestown — complete with appearances by its many stars, plus eight-months-pregnant composer Anaïs Mitchell. It’s also a glimpse at life just before the pandemic upended the theater world: We recorded this on March 2, 2020. Come From Away (2019) This performance condensed a long-running, nearly two-hour show — about a group of stranded travelers in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks — into a 17-minute set behind the Tiny Desk. Fitting big things into small spaces was a central theme of the day, as we crammed 16 performers on to our tiny stage. Be More Chill (2019) I saw Be More Chill on Broadway early in its run, fell in love and booked its charming cast at the Tiny Desk within a matter of days. The show’s cast recordings had already gone viral, particularly among a cohort of young listeners who were only beginning to discover musical theater. Five years later, those fans can still revisit a few of the show’s best-loved numbers — including George Salazar’s powerful signature song, “Michael in the Bathroom.” The Band’s Visit (2018) With all credit due to Josh Rogosin’s vision, this one provided proof of concept that Broadway would work at the Tiny Desk — and that we could get the performers (including Tony Shalhoub and Katrina Lenk) to trudge down from New York to D.C. to fit an extra performance into their busy schedules. It was a good pick to start us off, too: The Band’s Visit had recently been nominated for 11 Tony Awards when this show took place, and it went on to win a whopping 10 of them, including Best Musical and acting awards for Lenk and Shalhoub. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Recent Tiny Desks Julius Rodriguez is a pianist and multi-instrumentalist who’s widely regarded as a young jazz master. María José Llergo conjures the genre-smashing spirit of a Spanish music scene that’s built on tradition, but also explodes with fresh energy. Laura Jane Grace, backed by The Mississippi Medicals, performs a set that spans much of her career, from recent solo work all the way back to songs by her influential punk band Against Me! Silvia Pérez Cruz is an emotive, jazz-influenced Spanish singer who performs songs of joy, pain, grief and curiosity. SWV closed out the Tiny Desk’s Black Music Month festivities with an assortment of its unforgettable R&B hits. Introducing NPR Music+, a new way to support what you love and explore new music and conversations sponsor-free. NPR Music+ includes two podcasts with one convenient subscription: All Songs Considered and Alt.Latino, both sponsor-free. Learn more and support us at plus.npr.org/NPRmusic Get NPR Music+ Around public radio KEXP in Seattle captured Sheer Mag in all its classic rock glory.  KCRW in Los Angeles brought the energetic live show of Reyna Tropical to its Annenberg Performance Studio. WXPN in Philadelphia welcomed English Teacher to its Indie Rock Hit Parade studio. KUTX in Austin filmed public radio favorites Local Natives. WFUV in New York recorded Guster playing one of its most beloved songs, “Satellite.” Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Central Florida Public Media (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy