UPDATE: Oprah Winfrey 'Working Closely on New Play' to Mark Broadway Debut

As BWW reported yesterday, Oprah Winfrey, who was reportedly in talks to make her long-awaited Broadway debut in a revival of Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play NIGHT, MOTHER opposite five-time Tony-Award winner Audra McDonald has changed her mind about portraying the role of a mother who desperately tries to prevent her daughter from killing herself.

In an interview shared in The Hollywood Reporter, the 'Selma' star revealed, "I just didn't want to be in the space of suicide every night for six months," adding, "I'd like something with a happier ending." Read the article in full here.

In an email to The New York Times received Tuesday night, Scott Sanders, the Broadway producer who was organizing the revival, shared that he and Ms. Winfrey were now, "working closely on a new play that would mark her Broadway acting debut." He declined to name the specific play or the timing of the production. Mr. Sanders and Ms. Winfrey are currently working together to produce a Broadway revival of the musical "The Color Purple" set to hit Broadway this fall.

Last February, Sanders had commented, "Oprah has had a longstanding desire to act on Broadway. She understands how unique and challenging performing live on stage will be as an actress. She and I have been looking at a number of plays and roles in order to find material and a character that truly resonate with her."

Winfrey was most recently seen on the big screen in "Selma," and "Lee Daniels' The Butler." She is currently working on a Broadway revival of 'The Color Purple' along with Mr. Sanders. Together, the duo produced the original production of the Broadway musical in 2005 with a book by Marsha Norman.

NIGHT MOTHER first opened on Broadway in 1983. The show, which ran for one year, received Tony nominations for best play and best actress for its stars, Anne Pitoniak and Kathy Bates. In 2004, Brenda Blethyn and Edie Falco appeared in a revival.

Photo courtesy of ABC