Hell Yes! Jennifer Hudson Will Lead Oprah Winfrey-Produced The Color Purple Revival on Broadway

Brace yourselves: J-Hud is coming to Broadway! The John Doyle-helmed revival of The Color Purple will head to the Great White Way this fall, after having played London’s Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013. According to the New York Post, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson will make her highly-anticipated Great White Way debut as Celie in the previously reported Oprah Winfrey (ever heard of her?) and Scott Sanders production.

The Color Purple features a book by Marsha Norman, lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray and music by Russell and Willis. Based on the novel by Alice Walker, the musical tells the story of Celie, a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discovers her voice in the world. Doyle’s stripped-down production opened in London on July 15, 2013. The new staging cuts approximately 30 minutes of material from the original incarnation.

Hudson won her Oscar for Dreamgirls. Her additional film and TV credits include American Idol, Sex and the City, The Secret Life of Bees, Winnie Mandela, The Three Stooges, Smash and Black Nativity. She won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for 2008's Jennifer Hudson.

The original Broadway production was directed by Gary Griffin and starred Brandon Victor Dixon, Renee Elise Goldsberry and LaChanze, who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Celie. Winfrey was part of the producing team for the original Broadway production as well.

While we wait for The Color Purple's return to the Great White Way, here's J-Hud herself singing Celie's big anthem, "I'm Here" for Oprah Winfrey at her Kennedy Center Honors tribute. Beware of belting.