Brenda Russell News

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.

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.

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.

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).

Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to announce John Doyle's production of The Color Purple will open the 2018-2019 season, replacing the previously announced Unmasked. The Tony Award-winning revival of The Color Purple that exhilarated Broadway will thrill audiences at Paper Mill Playhouse from September 26 to October 21.

Alice Walker's poignantly sad, yet ultimately empowering classic novel, 'The Color Purple,' has found expression on the page, on film and twice now on the musical stage. The revival (book by Marsha Norman; songs by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray), honed to its finest points, tears at your heart as the story of Southern black girl Celie unfolds over decades of poverty, abuse and a loveless existence, only to see her rise triumphantly as she finally comes into her own. Directed by John Doyle (who was also responsible for the sepia-toned, minimalist set design), the show won the 2016 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical and is now on tour, with a wonderous stop at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre, now through May 27.

Broadway In Chicago and the producers of the Tony Award-winning revival of THE COLOR PURPLE, the truly remarkable musical adapted of Alice Walker's best-selling novel, are delighted to announce that individual tickets for THE COLOR PURPLE will go on sale Friday, May 11. Broadway In Chicago presents THE COLOR PURPLE, directed by Tony winner John Doyle (Sweeney Todd and The Color Purple), at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (50 E. Congress Pkwy.) for a limited two-week engagement July 17 - 29, 2018.

The National Tour of THE COLOR PURPLE, now at ASU Gammage through April 22nd, is a masterpiece of soulful vibrations, telling of Celie's journey from poverty to empowerment. Deserving of Amens and Hallelujahs! Electrifying cast led by Adrianna Hicks and featuring powerhouse performances by Carla Stewart, Carrie Compere, N'Jameh Camara, Gavin Gregory, and J. Daughtry.

Robbi Kumalo will pay homage to Nina Simone at Rockwood Music Hall, Sunday May 20, 2018. The show will begin at 7pm, doors open 6:30 pm.

If you have never been to Springboro to visit La Comedia Dinner Theatre, now is the time.  Their current production of THE COLOR PURPLE is phenomenal and not to be missed.  

Portland Center Stage at The Armory's 2018-2019 season will feature 11 productions along with a special 10th anniversary return engagement of Storm Large in Crazy Enough, a show that had its world premiere at The Armory in 2009 and became one of the company's biggest hits.

Actor's Express has been awarded a grant of $20,000 from Turner to support its production of The Color Purple. Managing Director Alex Scollon comments, "Year after year Turner has shown its commitment to Atlanta's arts and culture scene and telling the stories or our time through its Turner Voices program. Actor's Express is honored to be one of the recipients again this year."

The Fabulous Fox Theatre is delighted to announce that the first U.S. National tour of the hit musical THE COLOR PURPLE, will play the Fabulous Fox Theatre from Tuesday, March 20 through Sunday, April 1.

'The Color Purple' was riveting due to its top talent, high energy and high production quality in every aspect of the performance.The vocals throughout the performance are rich with full harmonies, belting solos. The intimate stage springs alive with swashes of vibrant colors combined with familiar visual elements of traditional southern charm.

It took ten years for urban-jazz bass player Darryl Williams to write, record and release Here to Stay, his Billboard top 10 single and the title track to his second album. This week's release of the follow-up single, Do You Remember, proves that he doesn't plan to go away anytime soon

The Broadway Across America engagement of the 2016 Tony Award Winning Revival of THE COLOR PURPLE presented a performance brimming with soul and spirit to The Hobby Center. Based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel, the show follows the difficult journey of Celie (Adrianna Hicks), a young black mother in early-20th century Georgia. A story of coming of age and growing-into-her-own, Celie navigates prejudice, star-crossed love, motherhood, and a wealth of hurt as she relies on faith and sisterhood to push her through to better days.

Any truly great piece of theater (or film or art or music or a book) is both timely and timeless, reaching out across many generations and diverse populations to deliver a universal human message that anyone can understand and relate to. You would be hard pressed to find a better example of this than The Color Purple: The Musical, currently making a stop along on its Broadway tour at the Civic Center Music Hall in downtown Oklahoma City.

Dallas Summer Musicals, Inc. (DSM) and Broadway Across America are thrilled to bring the Tony Award -winning Broadway revival of THE COLOR PURPLE for its Dallas premiere at the Music Hall at Fair Park January 23-February 4, 2018.