Video: Dana Cimone Has Hit the Road in THE WIZ

Are you ready? It's the roundtable with me, Robert Bannon

Hi, everybody. Welcome to the roundtable. My name is Robert Bannon, and it's another Friday, and you're here on Broadway World, an exclusive roundtable conversation where Broadway gets its

news. So a couple of years ago on Broadway, I finally saw The Wiz. I saw The Wiz people

I saw The Wiz, I only knew the music I only knew I have sung along to

Stephanie Mills my entire life because I'm ready To sing home, you know that song

It's so emotional to Listen to, I can only imagine what it's like

To sing it because it just moves You, it just makes you, everybody

Needs to go see The Wiz Across this entire country right now

And I'm so excited that it's coming to my New home in Detroit with Broadway in Detroit

At the legendary Fisher Theater which I think Is where The Wiz got its very first start

It's out of town tryout was here and it's coming to a neighborhood near you with an incredible cast and dana simone is dorothy

and if you have checked out the the secret videos online girl is singing her face off on state

singing come on whistle tones and and notes for days dana simone is here and we introduce

she's gonna be a big star dana welcome to the show big star thank you for having me thank you

see I want to know more about these videos sometimes I'll be out there and I'm like I want to see some things too there are video listen people with the slime tutorial secret video

they're there they're out there with you on them congratulations thank you so very much it really

is just truly a blessing to be stepping into this iconic role role that um I've actually been wanting

to do since I was at least eight years old. And now I get to do this every day, eight times a week

And it's the best thing of my life. Like, I love it. I was going to ask you because I remember watching the movie as a kid and seeing Diane

My mom was like the biggest Diana Ross fan in the world. So we watched the movie a lot

And then as I got older and learned about Stephanie Mills and what she went through on Broadway and her incredible, she's still out here singing the song like she sang it yesterday

And then the amazing people, even modern day when Ashanti did it on TV or when when people did it on Broadway and the other

It's a lineage of some of the greatest performers ever. So, yeah, what's it feel like for you to now step in those shoes

Literally, I mean, honestly, it is such a dream come true and a whirlwind because I also get to share my talent with thousands of people now that, you know, I've been wanting to do for so long

I get to inspire a younger crowd or an older crowd to try again or start something new and just spread positivity

And I'm really excited. I get to do that every night. And I think that's one of the best parts of doing a show is knowing that there's at least someone out there in that audience every day who's leaving that theater saying

wow, this is what I want to do or, wow, that was spectacular

Now I want to look into it for my kid or my, you know, it's just amazing

it is amazing and while we're here everyone go to whizmusical.com you can get your tickets if

you're not going to be in detroit with me and you can be uh across this entire country because this

tour is going on and you're hitting every corner and then while we're also talking you could follow

data on instagram simone.dh you can stay up on this on all the things and then broadwayanddetroit.com

our friends here at the fisher is where you can see the show i'll be there i'll be there opening

night i'm i'm ready to be there i can't wait to see it again and see you in it so we're gonna fight

Dana and I don't even know you. What'd I do? Because I know yours I don't even know your story

but I already know what you're gonna say. You're gonna say I went on a little audition with thousands

of other girls and all of a sudden I'm Dorothy I'm just booking gigs. Just go ahead. That's actually

so false so first hold on. Tell me I want you to come on. So first when they had announced that it

was doing a pre-Broadway tour. I had sent in like five different tapes and I still wasn't like

hearing anything back. So I love our director, Shelly Williams. I love her dearly. So I actually

went on Instagram and DMed her a message because I had even flew home from college to go to one of

the open calls just so they could see me. And I was like, man, I really want this. So I went to

Shelly, and I was like, hey, girl, I've sent about five tapes in, and I know this is so unprofessional

but please just look at the videos on my page. I just want to show you I can do this, and the next

day, she sent me a message. She said, I'm so sorry. I have not seen them. Send me your email so we can

get you up here to the finals next week and I went up there to New York and I was so incredibly young and I wasn ready yet but you know I went up there sang my behind off and then you know unfortunately I didn get it and I actually was so upset that I didn get it I almost

quit I was like I wanted that to be my last audition right there because I knew this was

something that I wanted to do and after the pre-Broadway tour and then the Broadway run when

it announced it was going on tour again I was like well I don't know if they're gonna remember me

two days later I get an email saying hey can you come up we want to see you for the understudy

and I was like yes I'm doing it I go up there I sing my songs and my director puts her paper down

and she goes Dana you've grown so beautifully like we are so glad that you you came back here again

and then the next day they're like we want to see you for the actual role and one week later

it's the first person to know they're like we want you and that's that's my story right there

so it's a lesson in not giving up and it's a lesson in when the timing is right that it's right

and the timing is right so what did you have to sing for this audition what's a packet like for

Dorothy well for so for the regular you know sending in tapes it was the end of home and

be a line but just the beginning of be a line before we get to all the crazy spectacular parts

but when I told her to look at my page I sent her this one specific video because I felt like it

showed grit and strength along with the voice so I sent her a video of me singing um I'm here for

the color purple for my last performance senior year of high school and when I came back up I had

sing home be a lion soon as I get home and wonder wonder why and I was just going I boom boom boom

I was like, guys, I can do anything else. Just let me know. And that was that was pretty standard right there

And you were ready. Oh, yeah. I had about four days to prepare all lines and music and material

And then I was up on a flight. You know, that story really resonated with me, because when I was 18, I got I'm old and you're young

I was called into rent to do an audition for rent to replace a Roger on Broadway

and I botched the audition and I did change my major. I didn't let it make me give up for years

because sometimes you can be your worst enemy and you can really talk yourself out of this business

because it's hard. Look what would have happened, Dana, if you gave up and you didn't do this

I know. I would have still been working in a little bakery, making my cakes and cupcakes every day

while singing behind a counter. I know. And now you get to tour the entire country

as Dorothy and the Wiz, which we're talking about, everybody. We're talking about Dorothy and The Wiz and with Dana and whizmusical.com

Look at some of the pictures. I'm telling you, no matter what age, bring your grandma, bring your kids, bring everybody

Everybody needs to go and see The Wiz. And we got some pictures and things that we'll get up here for you all in a minute

For you, you came from, where did you come from? Before I make a mistake, where are you from

Atlanta. Yeah. You're from Atlanta. and you're you know atlanta has theater and atlanta has a lot of culture but not not always

the biggest brightest broadway place to be i mean as far as far from new york so what was what was

your connection to theater what made you want to do this well first i started off actor first i was

very strict in the in the film and television and i theater started as a little side gig for me i

remember my first role was fourth grade it was the jungle book i was paying playing mogli with

my tan leotard on since he's shirtless going across the stage. I think then put a leotard on

and you will be in the jungle. And then over time, film was getting harder, but theater was

on the up for me. And I was like, hmm, well, I love both, but theater is really working out for me

Everything that I'm doing, it seems to be going really great, really good. And then I think about

Once middle school hit, when I was in sixth grade, I was like, oh, this is what I'm going to do for a career

I'm going to go get a BFA. I'm going to go attend the Jimmy Awards

And ever since then, I was like, this is what I want to do

I love that because you did your research. Because if you're not out here, you know, the Jimmy Awards were the high school's biggest star

And some of them are. Yes. Literally some of them. I just found out that Jasmine Amy Rogers, who's doing Boop right now, was at the Jimmy Awards as well

I was like, everybody and everybody is out here. I said, that needs to be me. And look, and now you're on tour, and now you have this show under your belt

And we're talking about The Wiz, everyone. And now The Wiz is back. It's on the road

It's coming to somewhere near you. Look at Dorothy right here. Come on, Dorothy

Well, she's cute. She is cute. And she sings. And they make her sing

because this book is not the easiest score to sing You all have to sing Oh but you know what i love it i listen these songs in here i will never forget these songs you know some days it may be

hard but i'm still having fun doing it and that's all that matters to me is like i'm still out there

giving it my 100 every single night every night and i can't wait to see you here when we're here

in detroit at the fisher theater like i said that is true with a lot of pre-show broadway trials back

in the day it took place here in Detroit, like Hello Dolly, like The Wiz. So the very roots of

this show come and ideas come right on the stage that you'll get to perform it on all these decades

later. You know, I moved from New York seven or eight months ago and I've been in love with tours

because people that don't get to go to Broadway and don't get to see shows have access to see some

of the greatest musicals. So you're going to get to see people who never, this is going to be their

first experience in the theater is you. So for you, what's it been like to go theater to theater

and service communities that don't have theater at their fingertips every single night

Well, it's very new because even though I am a proud theater kid

I've only seen two Broadway shows in my life. And those were all just within the last year

I have only seen Cabaret and Beetlejuice, not counting Slime Tutorials. So going to theater to theater first is such a new experience for me

I'm like, okay, all theaters are so beautifully made, first off. Just had to put that out there

But, you know, seeing, I also love seeing the hype that we have in certain cities before we get to them

There's people that post their videos, and people may think I don't see them, even if it's just like two likes

I see them. I look for you. And they're like, I haven't seen The Wiz since I last saw it on Broadway

and I'm bringing my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren with me. And it's so touching. Like it makes me feel so excited to do this show. And I'm excited for Detroit, too, because that's also my birthday week. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I've never been to Detroit, you know, and I have a nice birthday show and it's going to be a blast

yeah dana we need to celebrate your birthday out here in detroit detroit's got to show you a good

time sold out crowds good food and a party is what detroit's all about yeah it's it's the big

two one like i you know have a nice wednesday show on the 25th if anyone wants to come see my

birthday bow i'll be there want the big two one on the road here in detroit being dork in the wiz

We have to be there Wednesday. Listen, people, June is coming. Tickets are on sale and they're going fast because, you know, this is the city of Diana Ross

This is the city where all of it began. So you need to get your tickets because they're not going to be any tickets left to be had

Oh, we need to. I got to bring you. I don't know. Maybe Dana is going to have her first hungover show on Thursday after her 21st birthday

Dana, come understudies. Get ready. This is the party on Wednesday night

I literally have been thinking about this since the day that I booked this and they gave me my schedule and I said, oh yeah

That's going to be a fun day right there. That's good. You know, I talk about Detroit and I talk about Motown and all of that to be said, but the Wiz is so moving to so many

I'm bringing eight of my in-laws. Like we're all rolling out like an army to see the show

So we are all coming to see it. And my family who grew up, my in-laws who grew up here in Detroit, the representation and the city, what matters on stage, people of color

the young people that are going to see you on stage being Dorothy, that get to see the Tin Man Lion and Scarecrow

to see the witch and to see the whiz himself and all of the different people that are up there and be represented

is why I made this such a trailblazing show back then. How much does that mean to you to see these young girls

and to see these young boys and young theater people and this community see themselves

It means so much because, you know, for me in elementary school

and middle school in the area that I grew up in, we were really overlooked in the arts

You know, we really, us as African Americans, we had to push harder just to be seen

just even in schools. You know, that's not even for the film and theater thing

that I was auditioning for outside of school. And, you know, now that this show is back

and I get to have a voice for the younger crowd out there

who went through what I went through, and I'm sure middle school could be going through it now in high school or even college

that it's proof that somebody sees you and they're watching you. Like you're destined for greatness

Everyone is destined to shine. We all have such beautiful gifts and talents that have been given to us

And that you're not alone. And that this will be you and this can be you

You just have to keep fighting for it. Just like how you mentioned earlier. You just really have to keep fighting for it

And just try no matter how hard it gets Just try and look and the world you could you know there God can have a bigger dream than you could even imagine You could be leading the tour of the Wiz across this whole country When I read your bio A I was a hater because this is your first

professional theater credit. B, you dedicate it to your mom and you talk about your mom. So what

has it been like to share this with her and for her to see you and fight this fight with you in

this business? Oh, this, this, it's fantastic. Um, I remember my mom, you know, was the main

supporter of me in the arts. I mean, would be picking me up from school early every other day

to go take me on an audition if that's 50 minutes away, 40 minutes away. Um, you know, and especially

during the whiz, this whole audition process means so much because financially, you know, my mom and I

We're just not doing well at all. And I actually remember for the final last time, she used all of her savings to send me up there

To go up there to Pearl Studios and audition and come up

And so when I got this, I literally told her, I was like, this one, this is for you

Because without you, no one would have been able to see me. I would have been able to get my name out there

I wouldn't be able to do, you know, what I dream of doing. And so when I put that in my bio, I was like, I want people to know

It wasn't for my mom. Dana Simone want to be up all that stage giving you a show right now

Well, shout out to your mom. And I'm so sure she is so incredibly proud of you

And even shout out to Pearl on 37th and 8th. Yes. Get your audition on up there

So I'm sure mom has been in the house and she'll see plenty of shows. And I'm sure there's not a dry eye in the house when she's

She actually, she actually comes again on two days. We're in New Orleans at the moment

I love it. And then you're going to have a nice break and be well rested to come out here in the rest of the next leg

Hey, birthday leg. The birthday leg. The birthday leg is ready. Tell us before you go

You talked about your director, who is brilliant. And I love The Notebook. I love everything she does that she's done on Broadway

And now she's the Wiz. But what about this cast? I mean, you're a tight cast because you all are on the road together

And there's some singing, singing fools in this cast as well. So what can you tell us about them

you know, so actually, I don't even remember who it was, but someone gave me a piece of advice

which is not advice, quotations. And they were like, you know, be careful with cast. You may

think you're family, but it's just a community, you know, not family. Wrong. Scrap that idea

This cast and crew here is a tight-knit family. Like, we support each other. We uplift each other

like for example um I believe in Reno I had lost my show uh wow lost my voice mid-show during act

one where I was struggling to continue and I realized I couldn't go on act two and our they

just had to put in rehearsal the day before for our understudies and I had to go off that stage

after ease on down the road walk off into the wings and I bursted into tears and I was like I

can't sing nothing's coming out I can't sing and my cast and my crew and they surrounded me and

not they didn't just say oh no it's okay you got it they genuinely were uplifting me like they were

they were like Dana you were made for this you know what you can give you know you can do this

you if you have to pull back you can pull back we got you we'll do anything that we can for you

because we care about you we love you and it was and then they prayed over me before went out back

on stage again. And from that moment on right there, even though I already knew we were tight

I was like, these are the people that I'm going to keep in my life for a very, very, very long time

And I'm so blessed and grateful that we have just meshed together so easily. We've really all been

like this since the second week of rehearsal. I don't know what it was, but we were like

we're all family now family family well we are so excited to see you we're so proud and excited i

don't even know you but now i feel excited i'm rooting for you i'm ready for you to go fly the broadway and tours and recording and television and movies the whole thing dana is

coming for y'all she's coming for your job so y'all better be ready because she's coming book

it's gonna be booked every we we're we're gonna go right now to whiz musical.com we're gonna get

our tickets well across this country we're gonna follow dana as she counts down to the big two one

Oh my God, I'm 20 years older than her at Simone.DH on Instagram

And then we can all get tickets to see Broadway and Detroit.com. When we come to the Motor City, they're going to be rolling into the Motor City

I'm going to have to bring you a birthday present. I'm ready. Let's go. Let's party. Yes

Congratulations. What an amazing story. I wish you nothing but the best. And we'll see you when you roll into town

Thank you so much for having me. And yes, can't wait to see you out there

Can't wait to see you