Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson has done yeoman service playing Shug Avery in the revival of “The Color Purple.” Now it seems she’s leaving the show on May 8th, a week after the Tony deadline. (She’ll definitely get a Tony nomination for Supporting Actress in a Musical.)
Heather Headley, star of “Elton John’s AIDA” and others, will succeed JHUD in the role. Everyone else, including Cynthia Erivo, is staying.
After she takes a rest I hope Jennifer is going to make a new album. And I’m sure there are movies waiting for her. She’s one of a kind, a superstar, and she’ll be around — I hope– a long, long time. Jennifer says, ““I owe so much to the Broadway community and our audiences. My heart is full as I say to Broadway, ‘until we meet again.’”