The talk show — which leads with guest, pop songstress Beyoncé — will feature a segment with The Color Purple. The cast will perform the songs "Hell No" and "The Color Purple" and appear in a clip of the moment when they learned about Winfrey's involvement with the musical (she signed on as one of the producers late in the game), at a rehearsal where she made a surprise appearance. (View a preview on oprah.com)
"The only person I told was [director] Gary Griffin," producer Scott Sanders previously told Playbill.com. "She took her jet in, we hid in the next room. And I came in and asked the cast to get on the stage and said 'Someone called me out of the blue about a week ago and said they really love the show and heard great things about it from friends and she wants to get involved and I want you to meet your newest producer.' That door opened, Oprah Winfrey walked in and the cast went insane."
Based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the Steven Spielberg film of the same name, the new musical began previews at the Broadway Theatre Nov. 1 toward an official opening Dec. 1.
Gary Griffin stages the work featuring a book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman ('night, Mother). Music is by pop songwriters Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.
Spanning over 40 years, The Color Purple is "an inspiring family saga that tells the unforgettable story of a woman, who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world," as a release states. The show's score blends "gospel, jazz, ragtime and the blues." Oprah Winfrey, who appeared as Sofia in the 1985 Steven Spielberg film version opposite Whoopi Goldberg as Celie and Danny Glover as Albert, is the sole above the-title producer. The Color Purple's Broadway producing team also includes Scott Sanders, Roy Furman, Quincy Jones, Creative Battery, Anna Fantaci & Cheryl Lachowicz, Independent Presenters Network, Lowy Family Group, Stephanie McClelland, Gary Winnick, Jan Kallish, Andrew Asnes & Adam Zotovich and Todd Johnson.
Tickets for The Color Purple are currently on sale through (212) 239-6200, via the link below or at the Broadway Theatre Box Office at 1681 Broadway. For more information, visit the website at www.colorpurple.com.
