I guess Whitney Houston was still in rehab or something. Ashanti, the former Murder Inc. member and Grammy winner, has been chosen to play Dorothy in the soulful 70s adaptation of the Wizard of Oz ‘The Wiz’- which is loosely based on the classic but features an African American cast. The originally cast of the production featured the likes of notables such as Diana Ross and Lena Horne. And sadly, Ashanti definitely cannot fill those legendary shoes.

The show will be at the New York City Center this summer starting on June 12th and continuing until July 5th. So far, details of the rest of the cast have not been released. With Ashanti playing the lead, who knows who else will guest star. Let’s hope her acting is better than her singing. [billboard]