Singer/actress Jennifer Hudson is set to star in the 2015 Broadway production of The Color Purple. She will play Shug Avery, who was played Margaret Avery in the 1985 film version and by Elisabeth Withers-Mendes in the original stage adaptation back in 2005.

Hudson has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame since finishing in seventh place on Season 3 of American Idol. She could arguably be considered the most successful American Idol finalist along with Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson.
Since her appearance on American Idol, Hudson 33 has released three albums, won an Oscar for her performance in 2006’s Dreamgirls, starred in the Sex and the City Movie in 2008 and has had numerous endorsement deals such as being a spokesperson for Weight Watchers.

This isn’t Hudson’s first appearance on the Broadway stage. She made her stage debut with the one-off concert revival of “Hair” on Broadway in September 2004. She then returned to Broadway for the one-off concert revival of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” as Jewel in October 2006.

The rebooted version of the musical was engineered at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, which is known in the theatrical world for taking big budgeted Broadway shows and stripping them down to their essential parts. Masterminded by producer John Doyle, it’s a process that many critics have praised for bringing out the emotional punch in original scripts.

Hudson’s presence on the bill when the show comes to Broadway is sure to give the revitalized production a big-name boost when it opens in the fall. No other casting announcements have yet been made, though rumors have it that Cynthia Erivo, who played Celie during the residency in London, is in talks to reprise her lead role again.