Mr. Holder replaced the original director, Gilbert Moses, when the show was doing an out-of-town tryout in Detroit. The cast changed during its journey to Broadway. By the time it opened in New York, it included then-unknowns Stephanie Mills (as Dorothy), Hinton Battle (as the Scarecrow), Dee Dee Bridgewater (as Glinda) and Andre De Shields (as The Wiz). Reviews were mixed, but an ad campaign that heavily featured the catchy number "Ease on Down the Road"—as well as an injection of emergency funds by 20th Century Fox, an investor—helped the show's fortunes rebound. Soon it was selling out. It eventually won seven Tony Awards, including prizes for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Direction of a Musical for Mr. Holder. It went on to play 1,672 performances.