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Color Purple Casting Announced, with LaChanze to Star

By: Sep. 08, 2005
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LaChanze, who was previously reported as the leading lady of The Color Purple, has now officially signed on to star in the musical based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the Academy Award-nominated Speilberg film of the same title.

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The Color Purple, which will begin previews at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway at 53rd St.) on November 1st before opening on December 1st, will feature LaChanze as Celie, the central character in the musical's story of incest, pain, love and redemption. The star was also seen in that role when the musical premiered at Atlanta's ALLIANCE THEATRE in 2004 (to generally positive reviews). In that production, Felicia P. Fields played the volatile and Sofia and Kingsley Leggs appeared as Mister; those two performers will return to the Broadway production alongside newcomers Renee Elise Goldsberry (Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Lion King) as Nettie and Elisabeth Withers as Shug. In the Atlanta production, those roles were inhabited by Wicked's Saycon Sengbloh and Doubt's Adriane Lenox, respectively).

As in Atlanta, Gary Griffin (A Little Night Music at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Pacific Overtures in Chicago and London) will direct the musical. Marsha Norman (Pulitzer Prize-winner for 'night, Mother, The Secret Garden) wrote the book, while the eclectic score, which blends gospel, pop, ragtime and blues, was penned by pop tunesmiths Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Donald Byrd has replaced Atlanta's Ken Robertson as The Color Purple's choreographer, while the design team design team still comprises John Lee Beatty (sets), Paul Tazewell (costumes), Brian MacDevitt (lighting), and Jon Weston (sound). Orchestrations will be provided by Jonathan Tunick, while Kevin Stites is the music supervisor and Linda Twine the musical director.

The show also features Brandon Victor Dixon as Harpo and Krisha Marcano as Squeak, as well as Jeannette Bayardelle, James Brown III, Eric L. Christian, Latrisa Coleman, Bobby Daye, Carol Dennis, Anika Ellis, Doug Eskew, Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines, Zipporah Gatling, Charles Gray, Stephanie Guiland-Brown, James Harkness, Francesca Harper, Kimberly Ann Harris, Chantylla Johnson, Grasan Kingsberry, Corinne McFarlane, Kenita R. Miller, JC Montgomery, Lou Myers, Angela Robinson, Nathaniel Stampley, Jamal Story, Leon Thomas III, Maia Nkenge Wilson and Virginia Woodruff.

LaChanze, a 1991 Tony nominee for her star-making turn in Once On This Island, recently appeared in the Ahrens and Flaherty musical Dessa Rose. Her other Broadway credits include the 1987 revival of Dreamgirls, Marta in the 1995 Roundabout revival of Company, and Sarah (replacement) in Ragtime. She has also appeared in the 2002 Funny Girl Actor's Fund concert and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin.

Speilberg's 1985 film, which starred Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, Oprah Winfrey as Sofia and Danny Glover as Albert, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Tickets for The Color Purple are currently on sale through (212) 239-2980 to Visa Signature cardholders. Beginning on September 11th, they will become available to all Visa cardholders, and then to the general public on September 18th at (212) 239-6200. The box office will open on October 3rd.

For more information, visit www.colorpurple.com.





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