The Color Purple is a musical with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker and its 1985 film adaptation, the show follows the journey of Celie, an African-American woman in the American South from the early to mid-20th century.

The original Broadway production ran from 2005 to 2008, earning eleven Tony Award nominations in 2006. An enthusiastically acclaimed Broadway revival opened in late 2015 and ran through early 2017, winning two 2016 Tony Awards—including Best Revival of a Musical.

A film adaptation of the musical is currently in the works for a December 20, 2023 release.
The original Broadway production starred LaChanze as Celie, Brandon Victor Dixon as Harpo, Felicia P. Fields as Sofia, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Nettie, Kingsley Leggs as Mister, Krisha Marcano as Squeak, and Elisabeth Withers-Mendes as Shug Avery. On January 9, 2015, producers Scott Sanders, Roy Furman, and Oprah Winfrey announced that the Menier Chocolate Factory production would be mounted on Broadway. Jennifer Hudson would make her Broadway debut in the role of Shug, Danielle Brooks would play the role of Sofia, and Cynthia Erivo would reprise her role as Celie. Kyle Jean-Baptiste was slated to be in it as well, but he died in a fall on August 29, 2015.[19][20] Previews began November 10, 2015, with the official opening being December 10 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.[21][22][23] Erivo won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, with the production taking home the 2016 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.[24] The production closed on January 8, 2017 after 33 previews and 449 performances.n November 2, 2018, it was announced that a film adaptation of the musical was in development at Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, the same companies that made the 1985 film adaptation of the novel, with Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders, and Oprah Winfrey all signing on to produce.[46] On August 24, 2020, it was announced that Marcus Gardley will write the screenplay and Black is King's Blitz Bazawule will direct.[47] Winfrey praised the selection of Bazawule as director, after she and the producers saw his work on The Burial of Kojo, saying that "We, were all blown away by Blitz's unique vision as a director and look forward to seeing how he brings the next evolution of this beloved story to life." It was also announced that Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Carla Gardini, and Mara Jacobs will executive produce the film. It was announced on December 23, 2020 that the film will be released on December 20, 2023.[48] Corey Hawkins plays the role of Harpo in the film and singer-songwriter H.E.R. will make her acting debut as Squeak. On February 1, 2022, Taraji P. Henson was announced to star in the role of Shug Avery. On February 3, 2022, the rest of the cast was announced, with Fantasia starring as Celie