LaChanze Set to Star in The Color Purple on Broadway; Additional Casting Announced

LaChanze has been confirmed as the star of the upcoming Broadway production of The Color Purple. She will reprise the role of Celie, which she originated in the world premiere of the musical at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre in the fall of 2004. LaChanze has been seen on Broadway in such shows as Ragtime, Once On This Island (Tony Award nomination), and Company; she most recently played the title role in Dessa Rose Off-Broadway, for which she received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk nomination.

Elisabeth Withers will make her Broadway debut as Shug in The Color Purple. Renée Elise Goldsberry, currently starring in Two Gentlemen of Verona in Central Park and best known as Evangeline Williamson on ABC’s One Life to Live, will play Nettie. Atlanta cast members Felicia P. Fields and Kingsley Leggs will play Sofia and Mister, respectively. The Broadway company includes 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.

Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the subsequent film by Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple tells the story of a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. Directed by Gary Griffin, the musical features music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning composer/lyricists Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman is the librettist. The creative team also includes choreographer Donald Byrd and musical director Linda Twine.

The production is scheduled to begin previews at the Broadway Theatre on November and to open officially on December 1. For more information, visit the website www.colorpurple.com.