The Color Purple will shutter on 8 January 2017

The Tony-winning Broadway revival of The Color Purple will play its final performance at Broadway's Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on 8 January 2017. A National Tour of the production will follow in Fall 2017. Upon closing, the musical will have played a total of 449 regular and 33 preview performances.

As previously announced, Carrie Compere and Nathaniel Stampley will assume the roles of Sofia and Mister from Tony nominee Danielle Brooks and Isaiah Johnson, respectively, from 15 November at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Ms. Brooks and Mr. Johnson will both conclude their runs on 13 November 2016.

The principal cast for the revival currently includes Tony winner Cynthia Erivo (Celie), Tony winner Jennifer Holliday (Shug Avery), Tony nominee Danielle Brooks (Sofia), Kyle Scatliffe (Harpo), Isaiah Johnson (Mister), Jennie Harney (Nettie) and Patrice Covington (Squeak).

The Color Purple began previews on 10 November 2015, and officially opened on 10 December 2015.

The Color Purple, which originally premiered at London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013, is directed by Tony winner John Doyle, and features music by Brenda Russell and Allee Willis, lyrics by Russell, Willias and Stephen Bray and a book by Marsha Norman.

Based on the novel by Alice Walker, the musical tells "the story of Celie, a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discovers her voice in the world."

The Color Purple features scenic design by John Doyle, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Jane Cox, sound design by Gregory Clarke, hair & wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, music supervision by Catherine Jayes and music direction by Jason Michael Webb.

The Color Purple is produced on Broadway by Scott Sanders, Roy Furman, and Oprah Winfrey, with David Babani and Tom Siracusa for Chocolate Factory Productions.

At the 70th Anniversary of the Tony Awards, the production picked up the Tonys for "Best Revival of a Musical" and "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical" (for Cynthia Erivo).

John Doyle's 'stripped-down' production opened at London's Menier Chocolate Factory on 15 July 2013, cutting approximately 30 minutes of material from the original production, which played at the Broadway Theatre from 1 November 2005 until 24 February 2008. The Broadway production was directed by Gary Griffin and starred Brandon Victor Dixon, Renee Elise Goldsberry and LaChanze, who won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Celie.

- by Tom Millward