British Actress Cynthia Erivo to Lead Cast of Broadway's Color Purple Revival

British stage star Cynthia Erivo will make her Broadway debut this winter when she reprises her acclaimed performance as Celie in John Doyle's new revival of The Color Purple. The production, which originated at London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013, is set to begin performances November 9 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Opening night will take place on Thursday, December 3.

Erivo received WhatsOnStage and Evening Standard Theatre Award nominations for her performance. Her London stage credits include Kneehigh's Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the leading role of Dolores Van Cartier in the U.K. tour of Sister Act, Harry Hill and Simon Cowell's X-Factor musical I Can't Sing, and the European premiere of Ahrens and Flaherty's Dessa Rose at Trafalgar Studios, in which she played the title role. Her recent credits include Phyllida Lloyd's all-female Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse and the upcoming Liverpool Everyman production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, in the role of Puck.

Also starring in the production is Grammy and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who makes her Broadway debut as Shug Avery. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Alice Walker, The Color Purple features a book by Marsha Norman with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. It tells the story of a woman named Celie as she navigates her life in rural Georgia in the early 1900s. The original Broadway production opened with LaChanze, who won a Tony for her performance in the leading role of Celie. American Idol alum Fantasia Barrino, among other actresses, also took on the part.

Scott Sanders, Roy Furman, Oprah Winfrey, David Babani, and Tom Siracusa serve as producers. Additional casting and information will be announced in the coming months.