National Tour NewsNational Tour of The Color Purple Kicks Off October 7Adrianna Hicks, Carla R. Stewart, and Carrie Compere—all alums of the Tony-winning Broadway revival—lead the cast.
By
Ryan McPhee
October 07, 2017
The national tour of The Color Purple begins performances October 7 in Schenectady, New York, at Proctors. The traveling production of the Tony-winning revival will celebrate its official opening October 17 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.
Carrie Compere, Adrianna Hicks, and Carla R. Stewart
Marc J. Franklin
Leading the company are three alums of the 2015 Broadway production: Adrianna Hicks as Celie, Carla R. Stewart as Shug Avery, and Carrie Compere as Sofia. All three understudied their respective roles originally; Compere assumed the role of Sofia full-time for the revival's final weeks.
“It’s been such a blessing to be on a Broadway stage and tell this story and see people’s reactions and know that people are leaving uplifted and getting what they need,” Compere said at a recent press event. “To be able to go to people’s homes—to go out to the nation now—and to serve in that way is amazing.”
Joining the trio are Gavin Gregory as Mister, N’Jameh Camara as Nettie, and J. Daughtry as Harpo, along with Darnell Abraham, Amar Atkins, Kyle E. Baird, Angela Birchett, Jared Dixon, Erica Durham, Bianca Horn, Gabrielle Reid, C.E. Smith, Clyde Voce, Nyla Watson, J.D. Webster, Brit West, Nikisha Williams, and Michael Wordly.
Alice Walker’s novel is adapted for the stage by Tony and Pulitzer-winning playwright Marsha Norman. The musical features a score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray.
Tony-winning director and scenic designer John Doyle (Sweeney Todd, Company) recreates his work for the national tour, with costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Jane Cox, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, and wig and hair design by Charles G. LaPointe.
The musical first played Broadway in 2005. The revival opened in December 2015 and went on to win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Cynthia Erivo’s performance as Celie.
