Lions, and tigers and bears! Oh my!
The Wiz is back on Broadway with an exciting and revamped new generation of talented cast members that will blow audiences away.
Avery Wilson plays Scarecrow in the stage revival and he's filling some pretty legendary shoes as Michael Jackson portrayed the iconic role in the film adaptation back in 1978.
Even though The Wiz serves as Wilson's theatrical debut, the star has built a passionate fanbase since his audition on The Voice over a decade ago and in many ways... he's just getting started.
Scroll below to see all of the reasons why Avery Wilson is this week's Man Crush Monday.
1. He's confident.
Since coming out as bisexual in 2020, Wilson has embraced all of his talents and gifts that have helped him get to Broadway.
"I'm a talented, tall, sexy man. I don't know what else you would like for me to be. These are the things that God has blessed me with. Thank you to my mother and father for adding into the pot," Wilson tells PRIDE.
With some spicy pics on his Instagram, the star isn't shying away from who he is as he enters this exciting new era.
"I'm going to continuously be that. I'm not going to dim anything for anyone."
2. He's on Broadway!
Wilson is now living every theater kid's dream by starring as Scarecrow on Broadway's revival of The Wiz.
The updated version has some noticeable changes from the original script including Dorothy's besties Scarecrow, Lion, and Tinman. The big difference is that they're much younger than in typical iterations of The Wizard of Oz.
"The fact that [this adaptation] decided to cast the Tinman, Scarecrow, and Lion as younger males instead of creepy old uncles brings a different energy. I think that's something that people will love."
3. He gets to play a bisexual Scarecrow!
Not only are Dorothy's besties much younger in new version of The Wiz, but they're also family!
Wilson is exclusively revealing that a couple of the iconic characters are actually part of the LGBTQ+ community.
"I am a bisexual man, but I feel like my character is going to have a little bit of that in it. I just think it's a beautiful thing! Here's a little spoiler alert. Our Lion, I feel like he's queer. He's one of the girls and we love that. Then, you have the Scarecrow. I would say he's bisexual. I think it's very clear and I love that."
Tickets to see The Wiz on Broadway are available here. To see the full interview with Avery Wilson, check out the video below.