TUTS Cancels Color Purple Through Sept. 22 Due to Hurricane Ike
By Adam Hetrick
18 Sep 2008
Houston's Theatre Under the Stars has canceled additional performances of the national tour of The Color Purple as the city recovers from the effects of Hurricane Ike.
As previously reported by Playbill.com, the national tour of the Tony-nominated musical had been scheduled to begin performances Sept. 16 at Houston's Hobby Center. TUTS announced earlier this week that it would cancel performances from Sept. 16-18.
At the urging of city officials, performances of The Color Purple have now been canceled through Sept. 22. TUTS is currently awaiting authorization from city officials to begin performances of the musical. The tour is scheduled to play Houston through Sept. 28.
"Houston has been through a lot this week and we look forward to being able to provide a diversion. The Color Purple is about overcoming hardship and that message is relevant right now. We only wish we could have opened sooner," said John Breckenridge, president and CEO of TUTS, in a statement.
Press representatives state that ticket holders for canceled performances may refund or exchange their tickets for another show in the 2008-2009 season. Ticket holders are encouraged to call the TUTS box office at (713) 558-8887 or visit TUTS for further information and rescheduling.
The Color Purple tour stars veterans of the Broadway production, including Jeannette Bayardelle as Celie, Tony nominee Felicia P. Fields as Sofia, Angela Robinson as Shug Avery and Carol Dennis as the Church Soloist. Also in the company are "American Idol" finalist LaToya London as Nettie, Rufus Bonds, Jr. as Mister, Stu James as Harpo and Stephanie St. James as Squeak.
Based on the Alice Walker novel and the Steven Spielberg film, The Color Purple features a score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray and a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman ('night, Mother). Gary Griffin directed both the Broadway and touring productions.
The Broadway production of The Color Purple began previews on Nov. 1, 2005, at the Broadway Theatre and officially opened Dec. 1, 2005. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, The Color Purple concluded its Broadway run Feb. 24, 2008.
The design team for both the Broadway show and the tour is John Lee Beatty (sets), Paul Tazewell (costumes), Brian MacDevitt (lighting) and Jon Weston (sound).
The tour is produced by Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders, Roy Furman, Quincy Jones, Creative Battery, Anna Fantaci and Cheryl Lachowicz, Independent Presenters Network, Lowy Family Group, Stephanie McClelland, Gary Winnick, Jan Kallish, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Andrew Asnes and Adam Zotovich and Todd Johnson, in special association with AEG Live.
For more information on the show, visit www.colorpurple.com.
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