The Color Purple to Close on Broadway Feb. 24

The Broadway musical The Color Purple, which drew national attention when Oprah Winfrey signed on as a producer, has announced a closing date of February 24. The show will have played 30 previews and 910 regular performances at the Broadway Theatre, directed by Gary Griffin.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and Steven Spielberg's movie adaptation in which Winfrey played Sofia, The Color Purple opened on Broadway on December 1, 2005, to mixed reviews. Winfrey's support for the show, including appearances by the cast on her syndicated talk show, helped it build a loyal and diverse audience, and the show reportedly recouped its $11 million investment in its first year on Broadway. The Color Purple received 11 Tony nominations in 2006 and won one award, for LaChanze's lead performance as the long-suffering heroine, Celie.

A casting coup in spring 2007 gave The Color Purple a big box office boost: American Idol winner Fantasia assumed the role of Celie on April 10 and received rapturous reviews and a Theatre World Award. She had planned to star in the show for six months but extended through January 6.

Chaka Khan and BeBe Winans joined the company on January 9 as Sofia and her husband, Harpo. The current cast also includes Montego Glover as Nettie, Tony nominee Elisabeth Withers-Mendes as Shug Avery, Alton Fitzgerald White as Mister, Krisha Marcano as Squeak and Zonya Love as Celie. The Color Purple features a Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.

"Twenty five years ago, I read a book that changed my life: The Color Purple by Alice Walker," Winfrey said in a statement distributed along with the closing notice. "I was honored to be a part of the cast of that powerful motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. When the opportunity came to help bring the musical to the Broadway stage, it was a full circle moment for me. I'm so proud to have been a part of this production that not only made Broadway history, but resonated with a new generation and touched the lives of more than one million theatergoers."

The Color Purple's first North American tour kicked off in Chicago on April 17, 2007, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, starring LaToya London of American Idol and Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams, and continued on to San Francisco and Los Angeles. The tour is currently scheduled through 2009, and will be playing Tempe, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Atlanta.