See it on Broadway through January 8th only. The Color Purple is the 2016 Tony Award winner for Best Musical Revival. Best Actress Tony Award winner CYNTHIA ERIVO ("an incandescent new star" says The New York Times) leads a powerhouse cast in this epic story of a young woman’s journey to love and joy in the American South. Joining her is Tony and Grammy-winning Broadway legend JENNIFER HOLLIDAY (Dreamgirls). Tony winner JOHN DOYLE directs.
Don't miss two of Broadway's most powerful performers together on one stage in this Tony-winning triumph that New York Magazine calls "one of the greatest revivals ever."
Experience the exhilarating power of this Tony-winning triumph that New York Magazine calls "one of the greatest revivals ever."
Propelled by a pair of knockout performances from Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo, both making their Broadway debuts, this transfer from London's Menier Chocolate Factory takes a minimalist visual approach to a story that sprawls across decades and continents, training the focus firmly on the twists and turns of Alice Walker's highly populated, Brontë-worthy tale...Marsha Norman's book cunningly trims the story to essentials, and the songs by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray get the job done...What sets the production so strikingly apart from the original is director John Doyle's spartan approach to the physical setting, which he also designed...I'm not always a fan of Doyle's approach but here...he shows a mastery of character revealed. And so in the best show-biz sense, The Color Purple is more than the sum of its considerable parts. It's a fine old-fashioned celebration of endurance, grace and goodness, given a powerful African-American depth.
Featuring an exceptional all-black cast led by Jennifer Hudson (in her Broadway debut), Danielle Brooks ('Orange Is the New Black') and English actress Cynthia Erivo, this marks one of the rare occasions where a musical's revival manages to outshine the original production...At first, Doyle's production comes off as overly mannered and limited in movement. But on the whole, it is far more dramatically charged and focused than the elaborate but undistinguished original production. This feels less like a revival than a revitalization, or a new musical altogether. Erivo credibly conveys Celie's 180-degree transformation in personality. The big-voiced Brooks burns with ferocity while slipping into moments of good humor. Hudson is fully authoritative and altogether fantastic in the diva role. Johnson has both a crisp edge and the air of a broken man.
| 2004 | New York |
Reading New York |
| 2004 |
World Premiere |
|
| 2005 | New York |
Workshop New York |
| 2005 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2007 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
| 2015 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
| 2017 | US Tour |
Revival National Tour US Tour |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Cynthia Erivo |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | John Doyle |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Danielle Brooks |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical | Jane Cox |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Catherine Jayes |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Joseph Joubert |
| 2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | The Color Purple |
| 2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Cynthia Erivo |
| 2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jennifer Hudson |
| 2016 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | The Color Purple |
| 2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Cynthia Erivo |
| 2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Danielle Brooks |
| 2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or off-Broadway) | The Color Purple |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | John Doyle |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Danielle Brooks |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Cynthia Erivo |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The Color Purple |
Videos