Allee Willis Videos

Cynthia Erivo and the cast of THE COLOR PURPLE knocked it out of the park on the 70th Annual TONY AWARDS. Watch the performance below!

STARS IN THE ALLEY, presented by United Airlines, took place today, Friday, June 3rd from 12:30pm-2:30pm in Shubert Alley. Hosted by Tony nominee Sean Hayes and Mo Rocca, Broadway's best once again turned out for the annual performance - including Heather Headley and the cast of The Color Purple, who brought down the alley with a performance of 'Push the Button' - check it out below!

Cynthia Erivo gave a powerful performance of 'I'm Here' from Broadway's THE COLOR PURPLE on last night's LATE SHOW on CBS. The role marks the Tony nominee's Broadway debut.

Following tonight's performance of THE COLOR PURPLE, the musical's cast took an extended stay on stage in order to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Prince, who died earlier today at 57. Led by stars Jennifer Hudson, a friend of the late artist, and Cynthia Erivo, the company performed a stunning rendition of Prince's beloved song 'Purple Rain.' You can watch the emotional tribute in its entirety below.

Danielle Brooks stopped by last night's LATE NIGHT and explained how her Broadway musical inspired her to pursue acting.

Hudson shared that while she feels sad the long-running FOX singing competition is coming to an end, she hopes to make an appearance in the final season.

On last night's LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, Jennifer Hudson and the cast of Broadway's THE COLOR PURPLE performed the number 'Push Da Button'.

On this morning's GMA, THE COLOR PURPLE's Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo took to the stage with a powerful performance of the title song. Later, the actors discuss the stage adaptation of the classsic novel.

The Color Purple just began preview performances last last week at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th street). Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe award winner JENNIFER HUDSON makes her Broadway debut opposite CYNTHIA ERIVO, the breakout star ofJohn Doyle's acclaimed Menier Chocolate Factory production, and Orange is the New Black's DANIELLE BROOKS, in this fall's highly anticipated production. All three women will be making their Broadway debuts. The company just met the press and you can check out what they had to say about how things are going so far below!

Hudson recently sat down with CBS to discuss the process of the show, her breakout Oscar-winning role in DREAMGIRLS, as well as enduring through personal tragedies, and more. Check out the clip below!

The Color Purple just began preview performances last night, November 10, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th street). Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe award winner JENNIFER HUDSON makes her Broadway debut opposite CYNTHIA ERIVO, the breakout star of John Doyle's acclaimed Menier Chocolate Factory production, and Orange is the New Black's DANIELLE BROOKS, in this fall's highly anticipated production. All three women will be making their Broadway debuts. Go inside their first curtain call below!

Now that Labor Day is over, Broadway is officially gearing up for its upcoming Fall season, which is set to include a slew of Broadway debuts, starry revivals, and exciting new projects. In anticipation of the incoming theatre slate, the New York Times invited some special Broadway guests to perform at their 2015 Fall Preview, hosted at 54 Below.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo and Danielle Brooks are set to make their Broadway debuts in the critically acclaimed staging of The Color Purple, as performed at London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013. Directed by Tony Award winner John Doyle, The Color Purple will begin preview performances on Monday, November 9th at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th street) and will officially open on Thursday, December 10. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge just met with the three leading ladies, plus their director John Doyle, to chat about the upcoming production. Check out what they had to say about their new roles below!

Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) has dazzled the world with her matchless talent. This fall, she makes her long-awaited Broadway debut in the joyous and triumphant musical The Color Purple. This unforgettable and intensely moving new production mesmerized audiences when it premiered in London. Click below to prep for the show's debut on the Great White Way with scenes from the Meiner Chocolate Factory production!

The White Plains Performing Arts Center (WPPAC) presents THE COLOR PURPLE, February 8 through the 24th, 2013. Get a sneak peek at the cast in rehearsal for the NY Regional Premiere below, with extra footage!

Sneak peek at a music rehearsal for the NY Regional Premiere of THE COLOR PURPLE at White Plains Performing Arts Center February 8-10 & 22-24, 2013The White Plains Performing Arts Center (WPPAC) presents THE COLOR PURPLE, February 8 through the 24th, 2013. Get a sneak peek at the cast in rehearsal for the NY Regional Premiere below!

Mumford graduate, Allee Willis, whose songs have sold over 50,000,000 copies, conducts her high school marching band through a medley of some of her greatest hits with the cast of her Tony nominated musical, The Color Purple, singing along. Songs include 'September', 'Boogie Wonderland', 'I'll Be There for You (Theme from Friends)', 'Neutron Dance', 'Stir It Up', 'In The Stone', and 'The Color Purple'. Mumford High School became famous in the movie, Beverly Hills Cop, when Eddie Murphy wore a Mumford Phys Ed T-shirt throughout the film. Willis received a Grammy for Best Soundtrack for Beverly Hills Cop. The performance took place at the historic Fox Theater in Detroit on April 9, 2011. View it now by clicking below!

With the production coming to a close in New York, BroadwayWorld's own James Sims caught up with The Color Purple's composers/lyricits Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, in Los Angeles, to discuss how the pair, along with Brenda Russell and Marsha Norman (libretto), turned a Pulitzer Prize winning novel and Oscar nominated film into a Broadway musical...