On January 8th, 2017, the Tony-Winning revival of The Color Purple will play its final performance on Broadway. No, it hasn’t been struggling at the box office, it’s been doing fine. The real problem is that Cynthia Erivo’s contract will apparently be ending that date. The producers are probably aware that once she leaves, the general public wouldn’t have as much interest in seeing it.
When it was announced that this acclaimed production from London was coming to Broadway, it was originally announced that Jennifer Hudson would be making her Broadway debut in it as Shug Avery, thus making her the original selling point of the production. I must admit that I (like almost everyone) had never heard of Cynthia Erivo at all until she was announced to be coming with the production. The producers probably felt lucky that Heather Headley took over for Jennifer Hudson almost a week after Tony nominations were announced that way they were able to capitalize on the nominations for publicity. Not only did the production end up winning Best Revival of a Musical, but its Tony-Winning star (Erivo) then became the selling point for the remainder of the run.
I was lucky enough to have seen this production just two days before the Tonys. I didn’t see the original production from 10 years ago, I also never read the original novel by Alice Walker. The only exposure I already had to the story was the 1985 film adaptation from Steven Spielberg. But I absolutely adored not only this production, but of course, Cynthia Erivo’s powerhouse performance. I already raved about it several times before, but it truly is one of my all time favorite performances I’ve ever seen on a Broadway stage! Who knows what will be next for her after having such a whirlwind year.
If you are planning to be in New York before January 8th, I definitely recommend seeing The Color Purple (especially with Cynthia Erivo)! Not to mention that Jennifer Holliday (the original Tony-Winning star of Dreamgirls) is now in the role of Shug Avery. If not, don’t worry, the producers announced that there will be a national tour of this production beginning in the fall of 2017. Whoever will be playing Celie in the tour will seriously have some big shoes to fill.
On the bright side, the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre is now an option for any producers who have a show they’d like to bring to Broadway in time to compete at next year’s Tony Awards.
When it was announced that this acclaimed production from London was coming to Broadway, it was originally announced that Jennifer Hudson would be making her Broadway debut in it as Shug Avery, thus making her the original selling point of the production. I must admit that I (like almost everyone) had never heard of Cynthia Erivo at all until she was announced to be coming with the production. The producers probably felt lucky that Heather Headley took over for Jennifer Hudson almost a week after Tony nominations were announced that way they were able to capitalize on the nominations for publicity. Not only did the production end up winning Best Revival of a Musical, but its Tony-Winning star (Erivo) then became the selling point for the remainder of the run.
I was lucky enough to have seen this production just two days before the Tonys. I didn’t see the original production from 10 years ago, I also never read the original novel by Alice Walker. The only exposure I already had to the story was the 1985 film adaptation from Steven Spielberg. But I absolutely adored not only this production, but of course, Cynthia Erivo’s powerhouse performance. I already raved about it several times before, but it truly is one of my all time favorite performances I’ve ever seen on a Broadway stage! Who knows what will be next for her after having such a whirlwind year.
If you are planning to be in New York before January 8th, I definitely recommend seeing The Color Purple (especially with Cynthia Erivo)! Not to mention that Jennifer Holliday (the original Tony-Winning star of Dreamgirls) is now in the role of Shug Avery. If not, don’t worry, the producers announced that there will be a national tour of this production beginning in the fall of 2017. Whoever will be playing Celie in the tour will seriously have some big shoes to fill.
On the bright side, the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre is now an option for any producers who have a show they’d like to bring to Broadway in time to compete at next year’s Tony Awards.