Jennifer Hudson To Make Broadway Debut In ‘The Color Purple’

Christina Lee | January 10, 2015 8:54 am
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Did you forget to spin Jennifer Hudson's disco-inflected 'JHUD' this year? Time to fix that.

Jennifer Hudson boosted her profile considerably when she won an Oscar in 2007 for Dreamgirls, then a Best R&B Album Grammy in 2008 for her self-titled debut, the latter presented to her by none other than Whitney Houston. Since then, the American Idol alumnus has joked of how she plans to score that coveted EGOT win — that is, an Emmy and Tony to round out her accolades.

“I got a dog and named it Oscar, and then I won my Oscar,” she said. “And then I got a dog and named it Grammy, and then I won my Grammy. So I should get some dogs and name them Emmy and Tony – and it’ll give me good luck, and I’ll win.”

Perhaps that Tony win is on the horizon! On January 9, ESSENCE reported that Hudson will make her Broadway debut this year, starring in a revival of The Color Purple as lounge singer and mistress Shug Avery. Like with the film’s 2005 Broadway run, Oprah Winfrey will be co-producing it, which will feature music by singer-songwriter Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. There’s no word, though, on whether Hudson actually got a dog named Tony.

For now, revisit her cover of Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah,” as seen on CBS’s A Home for the Holidays special, below.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.