The LA Times
reports Oprah Winfrey, legendary American talk-show host and producer of Broadway's
The Color Purple, may be planning a
stage-to-screen adaptation of the hit musical production.
Reports state: "Yesterday Oprah let slip some news she
hadn't planned on announcing while touting the new Denzel Washington movie she
produced, The Great Debaters during a
press conference with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. [When asked] if she's planning on making a
film of the new musical version of The
Color Purple, much like Hairspray
and The Producers recently went from
non-musical screen original to Broadway tuner adaptation to film musical… Oprah
paused awkwardly, held her breath for a second, then blurted out, 'Actually, I
am.' But she offered no further details."
Oprah Winfrey received an Academy Award-nomination for her
performance in Steven Spielberg's film version of The Color Purple.
The
Color Purple,
nominated for eleven 2006 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the
recipient of a Best Actress Tony Award, for LaChanze (as Celie) celebrated its second year on Broadway in November, and continues its highly
successful run at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway, between 52nd and 53rd
Streets).
In addition to Best
Musical, the production also received Tony Award nominations for Elisabeth
Withers-Mendes as Shug Avery and Felicia P.
Fields as Sofia for Best Featured Actress in a Musical; Brandon Victor
Dixon as Harpo for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; Marcia Norman for Best
Book of a Musical; Brenda Russell,
Allee
Willis, Stephen
Bray for Best Score of a Musical: John Lee Beatty for Best Scenic
Design of a Musical; Paul Tazewell for Best Costume Design of a Musical; Brian
MacDevitt for Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Donald Byrd
for Best Choreography of a Musical.
The first North American
Tour of the show kicked-off in Chicago
on April 17, 2007 at The Cadillac Palace Theatre.
Directed by Gary Griffin,
the musical features a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman,
music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning composers/lyricists Brenda Russell,
Allee
Willis and Stephen Bray
with choreography by Donald Byrd.
