Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Broadway.com is reporting that media maven Oprah Winfrey is teaming up with five-time Tony-winner Audra McDonald for a revival of the Broadway play Night, Mother. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama tells the story of a mother trying to convince her suicidal daughter to not end her life.
The show will debut during the 2015-16 season and will be directed by Tony-award winning playwright George C. Wolfe. Winfrey has said she always wanted to be in a Broadway show and it looks like she’s finally getting her opportunity. Night, Mother originally debuted in 1983 with Anne Pitoniak and Kathy Bates as the leads actresses.
While this is not Winfrey’s first time working with a Broadway production (she was the producer of 2005’s The Color Purple Musical ) this is her first time as an actress on stage. She first appeared in the original film version of The Color Purple in 1985 and then in the critically acclaimed TV film, Women of Brewster Place. She went on to star in a film version of Toni Morrison’s Beloved and most recently in Lee Daniel’s The Butler.
McDonald is one of Broadway most beloved actresses and has appeared in several Tony-winning shows including Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime, and A Raisin in the Sun (play and TV film) and Porgy & Bess. She also starred in the Shonda Rhimes’ ABC drama, Private Practice.
RC will keep you posted as more of this project continues to develop.
Photo Credits: Kendte.dk and Oakpark.com
