The TV overlords have established that the live musical formula is working on their networks. NBC’s productions of The Sound of Music (starring Carrie Underwood) and Peter Pan (starring Girls’ Allison Williams) did exceptionally well in terms of eyes on television screens. Now, Fox has planned its own live version of Grease (with Aaron Tveit and Julianne Hough) to air in late January. Next on NBC’s docket, though, is a performance of the 1970s classic The Wiz. Many want to tune in to see Ne-Yo, David Alan Grier, and more. So how do you stream The Wiz Live! if you don’t have a television? Well, luckily, there are a few ways.
But first, let’s talk about The Wiz. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1975 and won the Tony for Best Musical. A film version was released in theaters in October of 1978, featuring megastars like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, and Thelma Carpenter. The musical was very popular, but the film was a critical and commercial flop (haters, amirite?) — though in recent decades, it’s become a cult classic. NBC bringing The Wiz to live TV is historic, given that it’s one of very few musicals with an all-black cast. So this is one event you won't want to miss, or even be late to.
If you have a television and a cable provider, you’re pretty much golden. Tune in on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. to watch The Wiz in all its glory live. If you have a DVR or TiVo, record it for posterity so you can enjoy it all the rest of your days. If you don’t have a television but do have a cable provider, well, that doesn’t make any sense. Just kidding — you’re in luck there, too. NBC has an app for mobile devices that allows live streaming of its shows. All you need is a cable login. This password will also get you logged in to stream on NBC’s website on your computer.
Recognizing that some people no longer own televisions, NBC has been pretty good about putting their special live programming up on Hulu so that non-TV-watchers can catch it. Hulu will indeed have The Wiz Live! available for streaming, but only starting the day after the initial broadcast. If you use Hulu for your television shows and want to watch The Wiz Live!, well, live, you’ll have to go down to your local watering hole and beg the bartender to change the channel from Thursday Night Football. Or, you know, just watch it with a friend. Hulu already has plenty of clips and behind-the-scenes peeks into the world of The Wiz, so watching those should tide you over until the full broadcast is available online.
Television or no television, The Wiz Live!’s cast of amazing stars and an even better score is definitely one to watch. Grab some popcorn and sing along, because we all just want to ease on down the road.
Images: Virginia Sherwood/NBC
