A couple of news bites coming from Broadway on Monday: Jennifer Hudson will make her debut on Broadway starring in The Color Purple, while Idina Menzel's current home, If/Then, will end its run after a one-year run on March 22.
The good news first: The former American Idol contestant will take the role of Shug Avery, a juke-joint singer, in The Color Purple (although earlier reports mistakenly suggested that Hudson would be playing Celie). The Tony Award-winning musical made its debut on Broadway during 2005 and the current revival is also being backed by Oprah Winfrey, who reportedly reached out to Hudson directly about taking part.
Part of the quick return to Broadway will be the new format for the musical that's been developed during its run under London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013. The new version features a more stripped-down approach, versus the original play (which cost $10 million to produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter).
Onto the the "bad news": Idina Menzel only got a year in her current role in If/Then and now the show's shutting down. The issues have less to do with poor ticket sales and more to do with the availability of its star performer. Her contract with the show will come to an end on March 22 and she's already got a full 2015 booked for a solo tour. Rather than fish for a replacement, producers are shutting the performance down.
The play never received much critical acclaim but Menzel's name was almost assured to bring crowds on Broadway, even prior to her "Let It Go" becoming one of the biggest songs of 2014. Although the play brought in more than $1 million a week during its early run, it will reportedly not recoup by the time it closes.
