Jennifer Hudson will soon be making her Broadway debut.
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The third-season American Idol finalist, Oscar-winning actress and Grammy award-winning singer has landed the role of Shug Avery in a revival of the musical The Color Purple on Broadway, E! News reported.
The Color Purple, which is based on a novel and had originally debuted on Broadway in 2005, is reportedly set to premiere this fall and is co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, who had starred in the 1985 film adaptation.
Hudson, 33, is ironically joining the Broadway show cast after two of her former Idol competitors -- from the same exact season -- had both previously starred in a national production of The Color Purple. In 2007, Idol fourth-place finisher LaToya London took on the role of Nettie during a national tour, while third-season winner Fantasia Barrino played Celie on the actual Broadway stage the following year.
Hudson's character in The Color Purple is a sultry blues singer living in the early 1900s who gets into a romantic relationship with abused housewife Celie, the show's main character, after having an affair with Celie's husband. Nettie is Celie's estranged sister.
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Although this will mark Hudson's first Broadway performance, she also starred in the musical film Dreamgirls as Effie White in 2006.
Hudson finished in seventh place on American Idol's third season back in 2004 but has gone on to achieve an acclaimed singing and acting career.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski