Portland Center Stage at The Armory's 2018-2019 season launches with the Tony Award-winning musical The Color Purple, adapted from Alice Walker's classic novel about the sisterhood, resilience and self-empowerment found in a community of black women living in rural Georgia in the early 20th century. The Color Purple begins preview performances on September 15, opens on September 21, and runs through October 28 on the U.S. Bank Main Stage. Timothy Douglas directs the production, joined by music director Darius Smith, who will bring the Grammy Award-winning score to life.
Paper Mill Playhouse has announced casting for The Color Purple, directed by Tony Award winner John Doyle. Cast members from the 2015 Broadway revival lead the Paper Mill Playhouse company, including Adrianna Hicks (Aladdin, Sister Act - Germany) as Celie, Carla R. Stewart (Ghost - National Tour, Rent - Regional) as Shug Avery and Carrie Compere (Holler If You Hear Me,Shrek the Musical - National Tour) as Sofia.
Greenway Arts Alliance (Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors) announces its 2018-2019 Season, which includes the Tony Award-winning musical The Color Purple, the Rolling World Premiere play Herland and the 3rd Annual L.A. Get Down Festival, A Celebration of Hip Hop and Spoken Word. The season productions and festival will be presented at Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles).
Portland Center Stage at The Armory's 2018-2019 season launches with the Tony Award-winning musical The Color Purple, adapted from Alice Walker's classic novel about the sisterhood, resilience and self-empowerment found in a community of black women living in rural Georgia in the early 20th century. The Color Purple begins preview performances on September 15, opens on September 21, and runs through October 28 on the U.S. Bank Main Stage. Timothy Douglas directs the production, joined by music director Darius Smith, who will bring the Grammy Award-winning score to life.
Leicester's Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome theatres join forces to co-produce Broadway musical The Color Purple, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker.
There is something glorious taking place at the Repertory Theatre in New Britain, Connecticut. The Connecticut Theatre Company is staging the very first community theater production of THE COLOR PURPLE, the hit Broadway musical with book by Marsha Norman and Music & Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Readers familiar with the beloved musical very likely may have the same initial reaction as this reviewer had - "A community theater production of THE COLOR PURPLE? Not sure how good that can be." Well, let me go on the record to say that this production by the Connecticut Theatre Company is absolutely breathtaking and does justice to every note, every scene and every heart-wrenching and beautifully written song in the musical. It is fresh and simple, and every bit as moving and life affirming as the original Broadway production (and its recent revival.)
Broadway In Chicago has announced that direct from Broadway, THE COLOR PURPLE, the Tony Award-winning revival of the truly remarkable musical adapted from Alice Walker's best-selling novel and directed by Tony winner John Doyle (Sweeney Todd and The Color Purple), will play Broadway In Chicago's Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) for a limited two-week engagement next summer July 17 - 29, 2018.
THE COLOR PURPLE has announced that a digital lottery, powered by Broadway Direct, will begin Monday, July 16 at 10AM for the Chicago engagement of THE COLOR PURPLE.
Using a diverse cast of singers, actors, poets, and performers, 'I, Too, Sing America' honors and weaves the perspectives and experiences of American artists of color with poetry, song, music and movement, featuring original compositions by Othello Jefferson. The performances of "I, Too, Sing America" are on Friday, July 27 at 8PM and Saturday, July 28 at 2PM and 8PM in the celebrated Buriel Clay Theater. With a company of thirty-one dancers and singers, "I, Too, Sing America" highlights poetic works by artists including Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Beyonce, Frances Chung, Gwendolyn Brooks, Alice Walker and more. The performances are under the musical direction Othello Jefferson with choreographic direction by Christine Chung; produced and directed by Jamie Yuen-Shore.
Back in 2005 Broadway was abuzz with the arrival of a musical version of the much beloved book and movie "The Color Purple". The problem was, when it arrived it landed with a thud and not a splash. It had a decent showing running for three years and touring but never really catching fire (at least not for me). I saw the original on Broadway and in the tour and it just felt like they missed the mark not really focusing on the heart of the story and with music that felt out of place. Then in 2013 the folks at The Menier Chocolate Factory in London revived the show, scaling it down to a more intimate and streamlined piece and low and behold, it now works! And that, Dear Readers, is the gloriousness that's currently playing at the Paramount.
Classic Stage Company's new production of the musical Carmen Jones, featuring Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose, had its official opening Wednesday, June 27. Let's see what the critics are saying...
Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce that the pre-Broadway engagement of THE CHER SHOW, the Chicago premiere of HEARTBREAK HOTEL, prequel to Million Dollar Quartet, WAITRESS and THE COLOR PURPLE will make 1776 half-price tickets available through the League of Chicago Theatres' Hot Tix program through July 8, 2018.
While its original production, as most Broadway shows go, offered the expected big sets, first-rate costumes, and impressive production values, the 2015 Tony Award-winning revival production of THE COLOR PUPLE---currently slaying audiences for a week-long stop at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through June 24---is decidedly more subdued and scaled-down by comparison, allowing the songs, the story, and the cast performances to shine on their own merits instead. The resulting show is a powerful, uplifting one, bathed in a loving, spiritual embrace that shines a light on the struggles, the insecurities, the passions, and the tenacity of African-American women living in the early decades of the 20th Century. I can say without hesitation that this revival production is an excellent way to experience this beautiful, touching, and ultimately triumphant musical.
The production of The Color Purple that opened at Actor's Express over the weekend is a strong, spirited, stripped-down production that aims straight at the heart of Alice Walker's beloved story. Here, the aesthetic improvements to the stuffy and overcooked original Broadway production's concept are inspired by John Doyle's recent acclaimed minimalist revival on Broadway, and in the hands of a talented ensemble and a luminous Latrice Pace in the role of Celie, this musical becomes exactly what it should be: a heartfelt portrait of the resilience of the human heart.
Whoopi Goldberg brings custom candies for Jimmy and The Roots to enjoy, announces a children's line of her Christmas sweaters and reveals the fate of her The View career as well as a potential Broadway return on The Tonight Show! Watch the clip below.
Producers announce the first North American tour and full casting of the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of THE COLOR PURPLE. The tour will visit more than 30 cities in its first year on tour, including Seattle, at The Paramount Theatre from June 27 - July 1.
On Saturday evening, June 9, nearly 400 of the Bay Area's finest arts supporters gathered at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco to celebrate Berkeley Rep, the Tony Award-winning theatre company known for its groundbreaking and challenging productions. Ovation: 50 Years and Glowing raised over $800,000 to support the Theatre's artistic and innovative efforts, including its educational programming and new play development.
We've barely welcomed June, and it's already sizzling hot here in Atlanta, so as we all head inside to foster meaningful relationships with our air conditioners, there are really two viable options for leisure time: fight with randos about Donald Trump on Twitter until you legitimately expect that you might have a stroke or head to the theater for a few blissful hours of phone-free, air-conditioned joy. Translation: Go to the theater this summer. It's good for your health.
That joyful noise you hear coming from the Hollywood Pantages Theatre this month is the thrilling sound of female empowerment, and it is reverberating like thunder from the heavens in the dynamically robust national tour of THE COLOR PURPLE.
Director John Doyle's Tony Award-winning reinvention of the musical - which took Broadway by storm in 2015 - rings like a clarion call to arms for every woman who's ever been violated, abused, or otherwise kept down by a man, and, on opening night, the powerful women leading the cast proved themselves more than capable of leading the charge.
THE COLOR PURPLE, the Tony Award®-winning Broadway revival, will make its L.A. Premiere beginning next week at Hollywood Pantages Theatre, playing three weeks only; May 29 - June 17, 2018. Note: immediately after this L.A. Premiere engagement, the production will play a one week engagement in Costa Mesa at Segerstrom Center for the Arts (June 19 - 24).
