The Color Purple to be recorded and streamed by Curve Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome
© Manuel Harlan
Curve in Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome will stream their co-produced revival of The Color Purple next month.
Presented in a similar vein to Curve's previous production of Sunset Boulevard, the piece will be filmed at the venue over the coming weeks in Covid-safe conditions, before being made available to online audiences.
The cast will feature T'Shan Williams as Celie, with Danielle Fiamanya as Nettie, Karen Mavundukure as Sofia, Ako Mitchell as Mister and Simon Anthony Rhoden as Harpo. Also returning to Curve is Carly Mercedes Dyer, who played Anita in the venue's revival of West Side Story, as Shug Avery.
The company is completed by returning cast members Geoff Aymer, KM Drew Boateng, Owen Chaponda, Perola Congo, Danielle Kassarate, Anelisa Lamola, Rosemary Annabella Nkrumah, Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy, Landi Oshinowo and Jo Servi.
The musical is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, and tells the story of heroine Celie over 40 years as she finds her place in the world. It has a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray.
The creative team features director Tinuke Craig, alongside musical director Alex Parker, designer Alex Lowde, choreographer Mark Smith, sound designer Tom Marshall and casting director Kay Magson CDG. The production will be lit by Curve associate Ben Cracknell.
The adaptation of Walker's seminal novel was first staged in the US in 2005 and in the UK at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013, with that production then transferring to Broadway where it ran until 2017. Last year, the Curve and Birmingham production won the 2020 Best Regional Production Award at the WhatsOnStage Awards.
Curve's Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: "After the phenomenal response to Sunset Boulevard, we are thrilled to present a special streamed version of The Color Purple for audiences across the UK and Ireland to enjoy at home. Reuniting our incredible 2019 company, Tinuke Craig's production filled with hope and resilience, is sure to lift the spirits of all of us in these challenging times."
The piece will be available from 16 February to 7 March 2021, with tickets currently available via Curve Leicester's website. 2,000 free tickets will also be offered to NHS staff.
Curve will offer a range of accessible performances throughout the run, including captioned and audio described streams.
