The Color Purple to be revived at Leicester Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome

A new production of The Color Purple is to open at the Curve, Leicester in 2019.

The Curve joins with Birmingham Hippodrome to produce the show, which opens 28 June in Leicester.

The musical is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker. It will be the first time the musical is staged outside of London in the UK and will be directed by Tinuke Craig. Craig's recent credits include Random/Generations at Chichester Festival Theatre and I Call My Brothers at the Gate Theatre.

The production is to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Curve and the 120th anniversary of the Hippodrome.

Curve's chief executive Chris Stafford and artistic director Nikolai Foster said: "The Color Purple celebrates remarkable women, telling incredible stories. From its Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker, her courageous creation in heroine Celie to Oprah Winfrey – who had the vision to make the story into a smash-hit Broadway musical. And we are thrilled to introduce our equally astonishing director Tinuke Craig and welcome her to
Curve."

Fiona Allan, artistic director of Birmingham Hippodrome commented: "This is the very first time that Birmingham Hippodrome has actively co-produced a main stage musical, and we could not have better partners than Chris Stafford and Nikolai Foster at Curve theatre, and director Tinuke Craig."

The Color Purple tells the story of heroine Celie over 40 years as she finds her place in the world. The show was staged by the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013 in its first international production which then transferred to Broadway and ran until 2017.

This new production opens on 28 June and runs to 13 July at Curve before running at the Hippodrome between 16 and 20 July.