THE COLOR PURPLE's Cynthia Erivo Praises British Black and Asian Shakespeare Performance Database

Broadway audiences being wowed by British star Cynthia Erivo's performance as Celie in The Color Purple may be curious to see if she's ever done any Shakespeare back home.

Users of the new British Black and Asian Shakespeare Performance Database (bbashakespeare.warwick.ac.uk) can quickly discover that she doubled as Poins and the Earl of Douglas in the Donmar Warehouse's 2014 production of HENRY IV, PART ONE and played Puck in the Everyman Theatre's mounting of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

Ervio is among the actors praising the new website for its statistic proof that while the number of roles for minority actors in British productions have increased through the years, they have been ghettoized into supporting roles.

She tells The Stage there is "no excuse" for the lack of opportunity to play leading roles.

"I don't know why this hasn't changed over time. There's no real excuse and there's a wonderful multicultural pool of talent to choose from."

Noma Dumezweni, who was recently cast as Hermione in the Harry Potter-based play CURSED CHILD - a move that drew both cheers and anger on social media - agrees; "To see those who look like me reminds me where we've been, what more we can do, and how much further we can go in sharing the art of storytelling. You're not on your own - that's what the BBA database informs me."

"I'd love to play Cleopatra or Lady Macbeth or Hermione," adds Ervio, "but I don't know how sure I am that there will ever be a chance of that happening. I hope I'm wrong."

The database details the casts of 1,189 Shakespearean productions dating back to 1930.

Searches reveal such fact as that Laertes and Ophelia have been played by minority actors fourteen times in British productions of HAMLET, compared with the title role being played just six times.

In MACBETH, Asian actors and actors of color are most often cast as one of the witches (42 times) or Banquo (24 times) with only twelve occurrences for the title character and nine for Lady Macbeth.

Jami Rogers, who headed the database's research by the University of Warwick, says the statistics highlight a "massive failure in imagination" by directors and casting directors.

"Ethnic minority actors don't seem to be nurtured up the casting tree," she explains. "They're sort of confined to second-tier best friend roles, or small servant roles, or roles that are 'exotic' like the fairies in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

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The new Broadway revival of THE COLOR PURPLE opened on December 10 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 W 45th Street).

Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe award winnerJennifer Hudson makes her Broadway debut opposite Cynthia Erivo, the breakout star of John Doyle's acclaimed Menier Chocolate Factoryproduction, and Orange is the New Black's Danielle Brooks, in the highly anticipated production of The Color Purple. All three women are make their Broadway debuts.

THE COLOR PURPLE is an unforgettable story of enduring love and triumph over adversity. With a fresh, joyous score of jazz, ragtime, gospel and blues, this stirring family chronicle follows the inspirational Celie, as she journeys from childhood through joy and despair, anguish and hope to discover the power of love and life.

Photo: Matthew Murphy