Charlotte to Broadway: ‘The Wiz’ sets stage for debut

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Phillip Johnson Richardson, a graduate of Northwest School of the Arts, makes his Broadway debut as the Tin Man in “The Wiz” on March 26.

Phillip Johnson Richardson wasn’t a huge fan of the Tin Man.

The actor’s first brush with the role was at Piedmont Open IB when he was offered it at a school production of “The Wiz.” Richardson turned it down.

“When I went to middle school, the first musical I did was ‘The Wiz,” he said. “I was like, ‘It was cool. I had a lot of fun.’ I got called back to do the Tin Man, but I didn’t want to be the Tin Man. Obviously in middle school, the only reference was the movie, so I wanted to be the Scarecrow. I ended up being in the ensemble. In the eighth-grade year, the next show I did was ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’”

Richardson, who also had athletic aspirations at that age, was hooked on acting. Encouraged by friends to apply for Northwest School of the Arts, and it changed his life.

“I did like sports, but I didn’t really fit in sports,” he said. “It wasn’t really my forte. I would say I was always an artist, and I didn't know it.”

Richardson embraced the Tin Man, recently finishing a six-month tour with “The Wiz before” before the show’s Broadway debut on March 29. He was in Charlotte earlier this month to pack his belongings for the drive to New York City with his pit bull, Zion.

In addition to acting, Richardson is creating out new music as well as an accompanying video.
“It’s been a lot going on,” he said. “A lot that I’ve done.”

Richardson was born in Fayetteville but moved to Charlotte six weeks later. He attended Morehead Elementary School, Piedmont Open IB and Northwest School of the Arts, where he graduated in 2014.

“It’s not like everybody who lives in South End moved here,” he said. “I’m like really real from here.”

Richardson flourished at Northwest with the support of classmates and the mentoring of theater teacher Corey Mitchell, whose skill earned him the equivalent of a Tony Award. Mitchell helped Richardson develop as an actor and encouraged him to stay the course, which ultimately led to the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, where he graduated with a degree in musical theater in 2018.

“I give [Mitchell] a lot of praise,” Richardson said. “He took a few of us under his wing. … He would convince my mom, who was like trying to take me out of a show or something like that, was like ‘No, he needs to be in this.’”

Richardson’s first role after college was in the Chicago company of the sold-out musical “Hamilton,” playing numerous characters including namesake figure Alexander Hamilton. Since then, he’s added to his résumé with roles on TV shows like NBC’s “Chicago PD,” Fox’s “Proven Innocent,” TBS’s “The Last OG,” a regular role on Apple TV+’s “Little Voice” and the A24 film “Sharper.”

Richardson also opened a new career front as a recording artist. Using the stage name Phil., he started writing music in college to express himself more fully than in the conservatory. His EP Hurt People Squared, which is scheduled to debut in the summer, combines traditional hip-hop with alternative influences that characterize personal experiences and social issues.

“When I was a kid, I thought it would be cool to be a musician but coming from Charlotte, nobody really did that,” Richardson said. “The only person that I can think of off the top of my head that was a musician from Charlotte was Anthony Hamilton, and he was like the only one for like a long time. …Chance the Rapper was a huge influence for me because he was the first person to independently [release music] … and it was a big it was a big thing in 2016.”

In the Broadway production of “The Wiz,” Richardson takes on a role made legendary in the 1978 movie by comedian Nipsey Russell. Unlike the seventh grader who spurned the Tin Man, Richardson’s embracing the opportunity.

“Honestly, the entire script is different,” he said. “So, hats off to everyone who played the role like Nipsey Russell, Tyger Hanes (the original Tin Man in the 1974 stage production), Joshua Henry and all the people who played the role before me, but the way I approached it was just kind of like myself as the artist that I am today, the person, the human that I am today. And I think that was in the way that it's been cast this way, too.”

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