The Color Purple to Begin National Tour in Chicago in 2007

Producer Oprah Winfrey will soon have The Color Purple in her own backyard. Just as Wicked has a sit-down engagement in Chicago, so will The Color Purple. The show will begin performances at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre on April 17, 2007.

Based on Alice Walker's classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the film of the same name, the musical The Color Purple tells the story of a woman, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her voice in the world. The show features music by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray and a book by Marsha Norman. It received mixed reviews when it opened at the Broadway Theater on December 1, but it has been doing well at the box office.

The Color Purple's Broadway director, Gary Griffin will helm the show at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. According to The Chicago Tribune, Felicia P. Fields, who plays Sofia on Broadway but normally lives in the Chicago area, is expected to appear in the tuner's Windy City mounting. A new company of actors will be cast to appear with Fields.

The show is currently scheduled to stay in Chicago through November 2007, after which point the company is expected to embark on a tour stopping at numerous cities, including Los Angeles, Denver, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia and Atlanta. However, if ticket sales are going strong, The Chicago Tribune reports that the show will stay at the Cadillac Palace longer. If that should happen, the team would either cast a new production for Chicago and put the original Chicago company on the road or cast a new touring production.