Monday, November 4, 2024

Broadway: Jennifer Hudson Leaving “The Color Purple” Next Month, Heather Headley Coming In

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Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson has done yeoman service playing Shug Avery in the revival of “The Color Purple.” Now it seems she’s leaving the show on May 8th, a week after the Tony deadline. (She’ll definitely get a Tony nomination for Supporting Actress in a Musical.)

Heather Headley, star of “Elton John’s AIDA” and others, will succeed JHUD in the role. Everyone else, including Cynthia Erivo, is staying.

After she takes a rest I hope Jennifer is going to make a new album. And I’m sure there are movies waiting for her. She’s one of a kind, a superstar, and she’ll be around — I hope– a long, long time. Jennifer says, ““I owe so much to the Broadway community and our audiences. My heart is full as I say to Broadway, ‘until we meet again.’”

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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