Broadway’s Marisha Wallace to Lead London Color Purple Benefit Concert

American actress Marisha Wallace (Broadway’s Aladdin and Something Rotten!) will star as Celie in a concert version of The Color Purple at London’s Cadogan Hall on May 21 at 6:00pm.

The concert is being staged to raise funds for the British Theatre Academy, a unique performing arts program that has inspired and nurtured the talent of thousands of young performers over the past 30 years. The evening will feature a chorus of more than 40 current British Theatre Academy participants.

The Color Purple tells the story of Celie, a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. A musical adaptation of the novel and film of the same name, it first premiered on Broadway in 2005 and received a 2015 Broadway revival, transferred from London.

In addition to Wallace as Celie, the cast of the benefit concert will feature Wendy Mae Brown (Ghost) as Sofia, Cavin Cornwall (London's Aladdin) as Mister, Tyrone Huntley (Dreamgirls) as Harpo, Rachel John (The Bodyguard) as Shug, Hugh Maynard (London’s Miss Saigon) as Pa, and Seyi Omooba (Junkyard) as Nettie.

Wallace is currently the alternate Effie in Dreamgirls at London’s Savoy Theatre.