"American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino will make her Broadway debut in the starring role of Celie in The Color Purple, beginning tonight Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at 7pm, at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway).
Since Barrino's May 2004 victory in American Idol's Third Season, she has released two successful albums,
Free Yourself and
Fantasia, and has been nominated for awards as diverse as Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Vibe Awards, BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and many more. She also authored the New York Times best-selling autobiography
Life Is Not A Fairy Tale and starred in
The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairytale, a Lifetime original movie adaptation of her memoir, in August 2006. The biopic became Lifetime's Second Most Watched Movie, garnering 2007 NAACP Image Award Nominations for Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special and Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. As of tonight, Barrino will become the first ever American Idol winner to star in a Broadway show.
The Color Purple, based on
Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and
Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-nominated film, recently announced its first North American Tour, which kicks off in
Chicago on April 17, 2007 at The Cadillac Palace Theatre. The show, which follows a woman overcoming adversity over many years early in the 20th century, earned eleven 2006 Tony nominations and has grossed over $60 million in ticket sales since its first preview on November 1, 2005.
The Color Purple's creative team includes Tony Award winner John Lee Beatty (scene design), Paul Tazewell (costume design), Tony Award winner Brian MacDevitt (lighting design), Jon Weston (sound design),
Jonathan Tunick (orchestrations),
Kevin Stites (Music Supervisor), and Linda Twine (Musical Director).
Performances for
The Color Purple run Tuesday at 7PM, Wednesday at 2PM, Thursday - Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 2PM and 8PM and Sunday at 2PM and 7:30PM. Beginning Tuesday May 29, 2007 the performance schedule will be Wednesday - Saturday at 8PM, Wednesday at 2PM, Saturday at 2PM, and Sunday at 2PM and 7:30PM. Tickets are $116.25 - $26.25 and are available online at
Telecharge.com, by calling (212) 239-6200, or at The Broadway Theatre Box Office, 1681 Broadway at 53rd Street.
