The Color Purple's New Celie

#1

The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 5:57pm

Not sure if anyone has heard anything..but I was just wondering who was replacing Fantasia. Alot of names have come across the table...including: Brandi Chavonne Massey, Stephanie Mills, and even Melba Moore. I am so excited to find out who it will be?

#2

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:10pm

Isn't Melba Moore like 80 now?

#3

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:15pm

....yeah.

#4

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:17pm

Stephanie Mills and Melba Moore will NEVER play Celie.

#5

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:18pm

Hyperbole aside, Melba Moore is reported to be 62 years old and Stephanie Mills 50.

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#6

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:23pm

Melba and/or Stephanie would never play Celie unless Seth Rudetsky did another Funny Girl style concert version of the show.

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#7

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:25pm

Age is not a issue in the world of theater. Chaka Khan is playing Sophia for gods sake and she is about 80 herself. It's about what you read from the stage. And to my knowledge Melba and Stephanie both are short and look pretty young. Not to mention Lachanze wasn't the youngest cookie in the bunch either.

#8

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:26pm

Brandi is Celie.

#9

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:47pm

You are right! Someone just confirmed that Brandi is replacing Fantasia. That is going to be amazing. She's one talented girl!

#10

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 6:52pm

Chaka is 54. And I could never see Brandi playing the part. Her voice couldn't handle it. She is not that great live from what I have seen.

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Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder

#11

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 8:11pm

Which Brandi are you speaking of? Brandi Chavonne Massey is amazing live...maybe you are thinking of someone else. "Wicked" (Elphaba), "Caroline or Change" (Radio 1), "J@Hyde" (Lucy), "The Lion King" (Nala). I have seen her in all these roles and the girl has some chops!

#12

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 8:45pm

Oh yes! Brandi will be wonderful! She has an AMAZING voice!!

#13

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 8:50pm

Ohhh, I thought you meant Brandy the pop star at first. Maybe she's who uncageg was thinking of.

#14

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 8:57pm

"Stephanie Mills and Melba Moore will NEVER play Celie. "


As Marc Shaiman wrote:

Because of their race
Just loo at thier face
It's as soft as a babies behind
Because BLACK DON'T CRACK...

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"This thread has just crossed over to BEST THREAD OF THE DAY land. It might have won the BEST THREAD OF THE WEEK award, were it not for stupid deer."
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"This is almost as good as the deer thread.
BillyGoatGirl300


"Ugly people shouldn't mate"
AngryDeer

#15

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 10:20pm

Where's Lauryn Hill when you need her !!!!???

#16

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 10:27pm

Stephanie Mills auditioned for the role of Shug Avery when they were casting for the original company of the Broadway production (and was, I believe, seen for it again when the tour was being put together.)

If she were ever to do the show, that's the part she would play.

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Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.

Updated On: 12/4/07 at 10:27 PM

#17

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/4/07 at 11:35pm

My understanding is that Brandi Chavonne Massey will be replacing Montego Glover as the Celie/Nettie standby. Montego will be playing Nettie full time and continuing to understudy Celie. Zonya Love will be Celie.

#18

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/5/07 at 12:05pm

Brandi Chavonne Massey=brilliant
Brandi "I Wanna Be Down"=abysmal, she can't sing live to save her life

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"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal "I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello

#19

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/5/07 at 1:44pm

Stephanie Mills today (at 50):


Chaka Khan today (at 54):

#20

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/5/07 at 1:59pm

Theatre isn't about age? Huh? Chaka's role is a bit more flexible than Celie.

#21

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/5/07 at 2:03pm

carpathia jenkins

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-Benjamin
--http://www.benjaminadgate.com/

#22

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/5/07 at 3:30pm

Who is Zonya Love?...what has she done?...Montego as Nettie full time...thats not a bad choice.

Updated On: 12/5/07 at 03:30 PM

#23

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/5/07 at 5:12pm

"Stephanie Mills auditioned for the role of Shug Avery when they were casting for the original company of the Broadway production (and was, I believe, seen for it again when the tour was being put together.)

If she were ever to do the show, that's the part she would play."

Absolutely.

And, actually, B3, I don't mean to nitpick but there's no R in Capathia.

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Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you. --Cartman: South Park ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."

#24

re: The Color Purple's New Celie

Posted: 12/5/07 at 7:10pm

Zonya Love I think is a fresh face, but she does kind of look like Whoopi. I was under the impression that Brandi was going to be the full time Celie, Montego is fulltime Nettie, and Darlesia was going to switch over to the Celie/Nettie cover for a few months.