Entertainment
Jennifer Hudson to Make Broadway Debut in The Color Purple, Will Be 3rd American Idol Alum to Star in Musical
(Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Corinne Heller, E! ONLINE
NEW YORK (EOnline.com)—Jennifer Hudson, an Oscar and Grammy winner, is set to make her debut in a Broadway show, The Color Purple, and is following in the footsteps of two fellow former American Idol contestants—who both competed against her during the same year!
The 33-year-old, who came in seventh place during the third season of the show in 2004, will play Shug Avery in a revival of the musical that is set to premiere this fall and is co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, who starred in a 1985 film adaptation, organizers said in a statement to E! News on Friday.
The story is set between 1909 and 1949 in the American South. Hudson’s character is a sultry blues singer who gets involved in a romantic relationship with main character Celie, an abused housewife, after previously serving as the woman’s husband’s mistress. The Color Purple also focuses on Celie’s attempt to reunite with her sister, Nettie.
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