Theater News

Darlesia Cearcy to Replace Renée Elise Goldsberry in The Color Purple

Darlesia Cearcy
Darlesia Cearcy

Renée Elise Goldsberry will play her final performance as Nettie in The Color Purple on January 15, and Broadway veteran Darlesia Cearcy will take over the role on January 17. Cearcy has previously been seen on Broadway in The Goodbye Girl, Ragtime, and Smokey Joe’s Café.

No specific reason was given for Goldsberry’s departure. The actress had originally planned to leave the show in December after she became pregnant, but she then suffered a miscarriage. This past summer, she earned praise for her performance in the Public Theater production of Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Delacorte in Central Park. In addition to her stage work, Goldsberry appears on the ABC-TV soap opera One Life to Live as attorney Evangeline Williamson.

The Color Purple is co-produced by Oprah Winfrey and stars LaChanze, Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, Felicia P. Fields, Kingsley Leggs, and Brandon Victor Dixon. The show opened on December 1 to mixed reviews but has since built up advance ticket sales of more than $15 million. Its original cast album will be released by Angel Records/EMI on January 24.