The Wiz (musical) — Local stage production

The thing to know here is simple: this is not a one-off neighborhood production. It’s the national touring version of The Wiz, and it lands at Bass Concert Hall in Austin starting Tuesday, May 12, 2026. That matters because the original blurb floating around makes it sound smaller and shorter than it is. Turns out the real story is a full Broadway in Austin stop with multiple performances across six days. ### So what is actually coming to Austin? It’s The Wiz as part of the Broadway in Austin season at Bass Concert Hall, not a mixed community-and-pro cast. Texas Performing Arts and Broadway in Austin both list it as the current national tour of the Tony-winning musical, the version that followed the recent Broadway revival back onto the road. ### Why does that distinction matter? (austinot.com) Because “local production” tells you to expect something modest — maybe a few performances, maybe a smaller staging, maybe a community cast. But Bass Concert Hall is presenting a commercial touring production with the usual Broadway stop structure: fixed dates, reserved seating, and a standard run long enough to catch different audiences through the week and weekend. (austin.broadway.com) ### When can people actually see it? The run starts Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. and continues Wednesday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 15 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 16 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, May 17 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. That’s eight performances total. So if someone read “May 11–14” and thought the window was closing immediately, that’s not quite right. (austin.broadway.com) ### What kind of show is this version? It’s the familiar Wizard of Oz story reworked through the musical language that made The Wiz famous — soul, gospel, rock, and 1970s funk. The current tour is being sold as the all-new touring edition that came out of the Broadway revival, with updated staging and choreography rather than a nostalgia-only remount. Basically, it’s the classic title, but in the polished revival-era package. (austin.broadway.com) ### Where is it playing? At Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Drive in Austin. That’s the main venue detail readers need, especially because event roundups often mention the title without making clear that this is a major campus performing-arts stop rather than a scattered pop-up event somewhere in town. ### How long is the show? Broadway in Austin lists the runtime at 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission. (texasperformingarts.org) That’s useful planning information — not glamorous, but very real if you’re figuring out parking, dinner, or whether kids can make it through an evening performance. The recommended age is 5 and up. ### What should readers take away from the confusion? (austin.broadway.com) The catch is that roundup posts compress things. In this case, the Austinot included The Wiz in a May 11–14 city-events list, but the official show pages give the fuller and more accurate picture: the Austin engagement runs May 12–17. So the event exists, but the framing in the roundup is narrower than the actual booking window. ### Bottom line? If you’re interested in The Wiz this week in Austin, think Broadway tour at Bass Concert Hall, not “local stage production.” And think eight performances from May 12 through May 17 — which gives you more chances to go than the original summary suggested. (austin.broadway.com) (austinot.com)