On Nov. 10, more than 30 years after its inception, a new edition of Walker’s “The Color Purple” will be released alongside the highly anticipated musical revival.  Featuring artwork and exclusive elements from the newest stage production, the special edition, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books, is available the same date the musical begins Broadway previews, Nov. 10th, 2015.

“The Color Purple” tells the inspirational story of Celie, who through faith and the power of love, triumphs over relentless pain and adversity to find the God-given strength she never knew she had.

Over the years, “The Color Purple” has received as much commendation as it has criticism.  In 1983, the novel received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.  Despite the stigma surrounding its themes of sexism, racism and violence, Steven Spielberg took on the courageous task of directing the film adaptation in 1985.  Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, the film went on to receive 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, but failed to win any.

A musical adaptation of the famed novel came to Broadway in 2005, produced by Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones, Harvey Weinstein, and original film cast member, Winfrey.  Starring LaChanze as Celie, the musical also received 11 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.  LaChanze took the award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Now, following rave reviews in London, American fans of the original production are eager to experience director John Doyle’s stripped down version of The Color Purple, starring Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson and Danielle Brooks, which opens Dec. 10.

Alice Walker’s literary contribution is epic and the re-release marks the commemoration of a story that needs to be heard and hopefully will be for years to come.  I have seen the musical three times, watched the movie more times than I can count, but I must say, nothing compares to her words.  I implore you to read this beautiful novel.  Knowing it will only make every other adaptation that much more remarkable.

On October 29th, 2015 Alice Walker and the stars of The Color Purple revival, Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson, along with the director of the Broadway revival, John Doyle will sit down at John L Tishman Auditorium at The New School for a TimesTalks conversation. Watch the live stream with us below at 7:30pm EST!

Don’t miss this exciting conversation with musical performances from the new Broadway production of “The Color Purple.” Hear Alice Walker, author of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel; Tony Award winner John Doyle, who re–envisioned the new, critically acclaimed musical; and two of its stars – Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, and from the hit London production, British stage star Cynthia Erivo, both making their Broadway debuts. Moderated by New York Times theater reporter Michael Paulson.

The post Alice Walker’s The Color Purple Sets New Edition Release + Times Talks Livestream appeared first on Broadway Black.

Sonia Friedman Productions has acquired the rights to a full West End production of the musical and it is rumored that Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin) will direct. The musical’s planning is still in the early stages and no venue has been mentioned, but it’s believed that it will go to London towards the end of 2016 or beginning of 2017. A London premiere in 2016, would mark the 35^th Anniversary of the musical.

Casting also hasn’t been announced, but open singer auditions were held in May for “black and mixed race performers with strong soul/pop voices for the lead roles of Effie White, Deena Jones, Lorrell Robinson, Curtis Taylor Jr., Jimmy Early and C.C. White.”

The musical, which features music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen, tells the story of a singing trio of black divas, “The Dreams,” and their rise to stardom in the 60’s. The trio is eventually torn apart by another predictable trio of fame, fortune, and men. The original Broadway production opened on December 20, 1981 and closed on August 11, 1985, after 1,521 performances. The cast starred Sheryl Lee Ralph as “Deena Jones,” Jennifer Holliday as “Effie White,” Loretta Devine as “Lorrell Robinson,” Ben Harney as “Curtis Taylor, Jr.,” Cleavant Derricks as “James “Thunder” Early,” and Obba Babatundé as “C. C. White.”

In addition to Beyoncé as “Deena” and Hudson as “Effie,” the 2006 hit movie had plenty of star power with Jamie Fox as “Curtis,” Eddie Murphy as “Jimmie,” Anika Noni Rose as “Lorrell,” and Danny Glover as “Marty.” Original Dreamgirl, Loretta Devine also made a cameo appearance as a jazz singer.

Sonia Friedman Productions is a West End and Broadway production company responsible for some of the most successful theatre productions in London and on Broadway over the past few years. Since 1990, the company has developed, initiated, and produced over 135 new productions, including Much Ado About Nothing, Jerusalem, The Book of Mormon, Legally Blonde the Musical, Betrayal, Arcadia, The Mountaintop, The Children’s Hour and All My Sons.

The post Dreamgirls May Debut In The West End For 35th Anniversary appeared first on Broadway Black.

As Broadway prepares for the return of The Color Purple this fall, let’s look back at the history of this incredible American story and its impact over the years.

The Color Purple is a novel written by Alice Walker. Born in 1944 to parents who were Georgia sharecroppers, Walker was riveted by stories from her parents, grandparents, and extended family about their youth and childhood experiences. However, she did not see any of these types of stories represented in literature at the time. Walker wanted to write a novel describing the struggles of 3 generations of Georgia sharecroppers and was determined to have their stories heard in their speech. In a recent Huffington Post interview, Walker says, “What I would like people to understand when they read The Color Purple, is that there are all these terrible things that can actually happen to us, and yet life is so incredibly magical and abundant and present that we can still be very happy.”

The novel was published in 1982 and became an international best seller with over 5 million copies sold. The following year, it won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. This reception garnered the attention of filmmaker Steven Spielberg who met with Walker with the hope of adapting her novel into a film. In 1985, The Color Purple premiered in movie theaters and starred Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and introduced film audiences to Whoopi Goldberg as ‘Celie’. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, but won none- however, it has stood the test of time becoming one of the most iconic films in the American cinema.

Nearly 20 years after the novel was published, Walker was approached by producer Scott Sanders about adapting her book into a Broadway musical. Walker was initially reluctant to this idea and took some convincing from Sanders that it could be an amazing concept. After some time, she gave her consent and it took almost 2 years to assemble a creative team. It was important to Sanders that this team included artists of color and female artists as it would best capture this story. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman (‘night, Mother) penned the book for the show, with music and lyrics by Stephen Bray, Allee Wills and Brenda Russell; Gary Griffin signed on as director with Donald Byrd choreographing; music director extraordinaire Linda Twine also joined the creative team. The production gained another producer in Quincy Jones who composed the music for the 1985 film, and had its out-of-town tryout in 2004 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. The following year, Oprah Winfrey joined the production team and in 2005, Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Color Purple debuted on Broadway. The production earned 10 Tony nominations in 2006 and LaChanze won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her portayal of ‘Celie’.

In addition to its 3-year Broadway run, The Color Purple went on to 3 national tours, several regional productions, and in 2013- John Doyle directed the London production at the Meiner Chocolate Factory starring Cynthia Erivo as ‘Celie’. It is this production that is inspiring the upcoming Broadway revival this fall with Erivo reprising her role and joined by Jennifer Hudson as ‘Shug’ and Danielle Brooks as ‘Sophia’.
Now that we are all caught up on the extensive history of this phenomenal piece, be sure to get your tickets to The Color Purple which begins previews November 10! Visit www.colorpurple.com for more details.

Can’t wait til November? Check out the production trailer here

The post From A Book To Broadway: The Journey of The Color Purple appeared first on Broadway Black.

The Most Dangerous Man in America (W.E.B. Du Bois) is a dramatic reflection of one of the most traumatic events in the terrible period of McCarthyism. W.E.B. Du Bois, cofounder of the NAACP and a scholar and political activist known and recognized throughout the world for his advocacy of peace and his opposition to nuclear weapons, was indicted in 1951 by the U.S. federal government at the age of 82 as a spy or, specifically, “an agent of a foreign power.” DuBois and others were persecuted during the days of the McCarthy era witch-hunts. Anyone who had any independent thought was branded as a member of the Communist Party and, therefore, an enemy of the United States.  Among those hauled into Congress and excoriated were DuBois, Paul Robeson and other activist/artists, Black and white.  DuBois, a founder of the NAACP and the organization’s Crisis Magazine, held tight to a life-long mission to actively research what, if anything, Black people could do to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of racism in a post-slavery society.  Throughout the play, the focus moves back and forth between the Harlem community and their opinions, and the witnesses’ testimony and the courtroom battles, giving a more balanced view of the interior narrative.

Artist and activist Danny Glover spoke of the nexus between DuBois and Baraka, both of whom were activists. Glover stated that Baraka was the inspiration behind his becoming an actor and the activist he is today. “When I think about Dr. DuBois, I think about Amiri who I met for the first as a 20-year-old student in 1967 (at San Francisco State College). We invited him there to develop a community communications program. Amiri talked about the use of art as a means of revolution. It was the beginning of my transformation.”

Leading the company of The Most Dangerous Man in America (WEB DuBois) are former WABC-TV news anchor Art McFarland as Du Bois and Petronia Paley as his wife. Also featured are Arthur Bartow, Michael Basile, Marie Guinier, Ralph McCain, Zuhariah McGil, Nick Plakias, Stu Richel, Joyce Sylvester, and Landon G. Woodson, along with Lamar K. Cheston, Keldrick Crowder, Sidiki Fofana, Michael Green, Te’la Curtis Lee, Robert Siverls, and Akil N. Williams.

Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre has dedicated its 46th season to the late poet/playwright Amiri Baraka. The season, titled “The Amiri Baraka Project,” contains two Baraka plays: his 1964 classic Dutchman, which closed on March 8, and The Most Dangerous Man in America (W. E. B. Du Bois) from May 28-June 11. The New Federal Theatre was founded in 1970 by Woodie King Jr. and specializes in producing plays by writers of color, and of women.

The post Amiri Baraka’s Final Play, On WEB DuBois, to Premiere in NYC appeared first on Broadway Black.