Theater News

Orange Is the New Black's Danielle Brooks to Join Jennifer Hudson in The Color Purple

Brooks, who will be making her Broadway debut, plays Taystee on the hit Netflix series.

Orange is the New Black star Danielle Brooks will play Sofia in the upcoming Broadway revival of The Color Purple.
Orange Is the New Black star Danielle Brooks will play Sofia in the upcoming Broadway revival of The Color Purple.
(© David Gordon)

Danielle Brooks, who plays the inmate Taystee on the hit Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, will make her Broadway debut alongside Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo in John Doyle's upcoming revival of The Color Purple.

Brooks, a Juilliard grad, will take on the role of Sofia alongside Erivo as Celie and Hudson as Shug Avery. The production, which originated at London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013, is set to begin performances November 9 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Opening night will take place on Thursday, December 3.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Alice Walker, The Color Purple features a book by Marsha Norman with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. It tells the story of a woman named Celie as she navigates her life in rural Georgia in the early 1900s. The original Broadway production opened in 2005 with LaChanze, who won a Tony for her performance in the leading role of Celie. American Idol alum Fantasia Barrino, among other actresses, also took on the part.

Full casting and information will be announced in the coming months.

For more information and tickets, click here.

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