The producers of THE COLOR PURPLE confirm that American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino is set to make her Broadway debut in the starring role of Celie beginning Tuesday, April 10, 2007. The Grammy-nominated fan-favorite performed a re-orchestrated version of her characters signature song to announce to millions worldwide Im Here.

As a 19-year old single mother, Fantasia began her path to international stardom when she became the winner of FOXs hugely successful audience-driven singing competition in May 2004. Now 22, Barrino has maintained her down-to-earth nature, all the while earning the respect of an industry and garnering critical acclaim for the release of both her debut album Free Yourself, which marked her becoming the first artist in Billboard Hot 100 chart history to debut at #1 with her debut single I Believe and her critically acclaimed second album, FANTASIA, released by J Records on December 12, 2006. Her new single "When I See You" just went to radio.

To date, she has gathered more than 20 award nominations including the Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Vibe Awards, Soul Train Awards and Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, Billboard Music Awards and R&B & Hip Hop Awards, BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and Teen Choice Awards. With her Broadway debut as Celie, the heart and soul of THE COLOR PURPLE, she can now add the distinction of being the first ever American Idol winner to star in a Broadway show.

No stranger to acting, Fantasia also broke records of a different kind after authoring a New York Times best-selling autobiography Life Is Not A Fairy Tale (Simon & Schuster, September 2005) and starring in The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairytale, the Debbie Allen-directed Lifetime original movie adaptation of her truthful, outspoken, and ultimately healing memoir in August 2006. For her performance, she was nominated for a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. The biopic, also nominated as Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for the 2007 NAACP Image Awards, ranks as the channels second most watched movie and has been seen by 19 million viewers.

From Alice Walkers classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the landmark film by Steven Spielberg, comes a soul-stirring musical. THE COLOR PURPLE is an inspiring and unforgettable story of a woman, who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. With a moving book and a score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, THE COLOR PURPLE is about hope, a testament to the healing power of love and a celebration of life.

Ben Brantley of The New York Times said of THE COLOR PURPLE, A bright odyssey of survival and triumph with a fairy tale sense of wonder. Purple strikes sparks. Pure heart! Celebrates the inspiring relationships of faith and love, A Broadway hit! raved Elysa Gardner from USA Today, Roma Tore at NY1 News stated, A winner! So full of heart, The Color Purple sings to the soul.

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