Brenda Russell Still Amazed By Nationwide Reception For 'Color Purple'
Singer and songwriter Brenda Russell goes into another holiday season with her Broadway musical adaptation, The Color Purple, succeeding in several markets. The Tony-winning musical -- which was co-composed by Russell with Stephen Bray and Allee Willis -- opens at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 13th.
Russell says she continues to be amazed by the public reception for The Color Purple, and notes that the endorsement of media queen Oprah Winfrey has been a major boost to the show. But she points out that Winfrey offered her production support after the show had been developed. Said Russell: "A lot of people want to say, 'Oh, the show is a hit because of Oprah,' but you know the truth is that Oprah fell in love with the project because it was so strong before she got to it. You know, Gail came to one of the rehearsals and started boo-hooing and calling Oprah, 'You gotta see this!' It was the quality of the work that drew her in."
The Color Purple continues on Broadway after two years with American Idol singer Fantasia as Celie and Elisabeth Withers as Shug. Fantasia will wrap up her run on January 8th, then Grammy winners BeBe Winans and Chaka Khan join the cast on January 9th.
The San Francisco run wraps this Sunday (December 9th). Productions are planned for 2008 at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland, the Arnoff Center in Cincinnati, the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and the Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, Arizona.
Singer and songwriter Brenda Russell goes into another holiday season with her Broadway musical adaptation, The Color Purple, succeeding in several markets. The Tony-winning musical -- which was co-composed by Russell with Stephen Bray and Allee Willis -- opens at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 13th.
