E!online reports that Fantasia Barrino, who was also a front-runner for the role of Effie in the hit movie musical “Dreamgirls,” will join The Color Purple ,the Oprah Winfrey-produced musical, in the role of Celie.
The part was created by LaChanze and earned her a Best Lead Actress Tony Award.
Barrino is expected to make her Broadway bow in the spring. The Color Purple marked its 500th performance on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre Feb. 13. Based on the Alice Walker novel and the Steven Spielberg film, The Color Purple features a score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray and a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman (‘night, Mother).
