*Danielle Brooks, best known as Taystee in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” will make her Broadway debut alongside Jennifer Hudson and British actress Cynthia Erivo in a revival of “The Color Purple,” reports Variety.
Brooks will play the fiery Miss Sofia, the role portrayed in the film version by Oprah Winfrey — who’s on board as a producer of the revival, just as she was for the musical’s Broadway premiere in 2005.
Sofia is one of the three major female characters in the show, with Hudson starring as nightclub singer Shug and Erivo playing protagonist Celie, a role she first played in London.
Brooks, a Julliard grad whose upcoming films include the “Angry Birds” animated movie, doesn’t yet have a lot of experience with stage musicals, but said she’s been singing all her life. “I grew up singing in church as a little girl,” she said.
The 2005 production of “Color Purple” was the first Broadway show Brooks ever saw, she added, and helped her realize she wanted to pursue acting. The novel, which takes the form of letters written by Celie to God, also had an influence on her: “When I write in my journal now, I always start with ‘Dear God,’” she said with a laugh.
The actress expects to be filming the fourth season of “Orange is the New Black” while she’s appearing in “Color Purple,” which starts performances in November.
The third season of “Orange Is the New Black” launches June 12.
“The Color Purple” begins previews Nov. 9 ahead of a Dec. 10 opening at the Jacobs Theater.
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