Skip to content
Subscribe
The Wiz
Closing Soon
DC/The National Theatre/The Wiz

The Wiz

The National Theatre · Penn Quarter

RunningApr 7 – Apr 12
Art Formtheater
Who It's Good For

Essential for anyone who believes musicals can be both monumentally entertaining and culturally significant. Families with teenagers will find genuine theatrical magic here, not saccharine sentiment. If you've grown tired of revivals that play it safe, this is the counterargument—a reimagining so complete it became the definitive version.

The Wiz returns to the National Theatre with the reimagining that redefined the American musical. This Tony-winning adaptation transplants the Wizard of Oz into a Black cultural landscape, transforming Dorothy's journey from Kansas into something altogether more urgent and alive. With its infectious score by Charlie Smalls, James Eloesser's vibrant choreography, and a visual world built on funk, soul, and pure theatrical magic, The Wiz became essential not because it retold a familiar story, but because it reclaimed it. Even if you think you know this story, the experience of watching it unfold on the National's stage—the Emerald City's glitter, the Scarecrow's infectious energy, Elphaba's transformation into something fearless—proves why this production has endured for decades.

Get TicketsView on The National Theatre website →
The National Theatre is in Penn Quarter. The Metro Center station (Red, Silver, and Orange lines) is about a 5-minute walk away, making it easily accessible via public transit. The Gallery Place/Chinatown station (Red, Green, and Yellow lines) is also nearby as an alternative.
theaterPenn QuarterClosing Soon
Your Ad Here

More theater in DC

Browse all theater →
On Beckett

On Beckett

Shakespeare Theatre Company · Feb 11 – Mar 15

If you've always found Beckett's reputation for bleakness a barrier to entry, Irwin's physicality and genuine warmth might be your gateway. Skip this if you want conventional narrative momentum, but if you appreciate watching a master performer think through complex ideas in real time, this is essential.

The World to Come

The World to Come

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company · Feb 3 – Mar 1

This is for audiences who prize character work and understated emotional truth over plot mechanics. If you're drawn to plays about overlooked populations and find beauty in small moments, you'll connect here. Skip this if you need broad comedy or dramatic fireworks—the rewards are in observation and nuance.

Safety Not Guaranteed

Signature Theatre · Mar 3 – Apr 12

If you love character-driven comedies with genuine emotional stakes and don't mind theatrical logic that favors the heart over plausibility, this lands squarely in your wheelhouse. This isn't for audiences needing everything explained or characters they can easily pin down—it requires a willingness to meet the material's gentle weirdness halfway.

Last updated April 9, 2026 · Summaries written by Theaterloop editors with AI assistance

Get Tickets