Rehearsals for Color Purple have begun at the Joburg Theatre
JOBURG – Producers spent four years negotiating for the rights to the musical which will open on 4 February.
The cast of the musical The Color Purple has begun rehearsals for the musical production which will take place at the Joburg Theatre.
South Africa is the first country outside the United States and the United Kingdom to produce the Tony and Grammy award-winning musical. The musical tells the unforgettable story of a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world.
“I have read the book and seen the movie a dozen times and was fortunate enough to see the first production of the musical on Broadway,” said Joburg City Theatres’ CEO Xoliswa Nduneni-Ngema.
“The Color Purple, although set in a different time, tells a relevant story not new to our society in 2018. The show tells of hardships, anguish, love, joy and hope and deals with issues that still need to be addressed.”
The Color Purple is based on the 1982 novel written by Alice Walker and the 1985 motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray are responsible for the music and lyrics.
Makhaola Ndebele, artistic director for Joburg City Theatres said, “The Color Purple is long overdue in Africa. The South African production promises to be an emotionally charged, performance-driven musical that is on par with its award-winning predecessors.”
The musical will be presented at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at Joburg Theatre, with an official opening date set for 4 February. The season will continue until 4 March. The producers have already spent four years negotiating for the rights and preparing for this South African theatrical coup which will be the first major international staging of the musical following the 2015 Broadway revival.
Lerato Mvelase will star as Shug Avery and Didintle Khunou as Celie, the two protagonists in the play.
“The Color Purple will thrill, excite, engage, enthral and emote audiences like no other musical before it. I believe that South African audiences will laugh, will cry, will cheer,” said Bernard Jay, executive producer of the South African production.
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