Jennifer Hudson took her final bow as Shug Avery in the Tony nominated revival of The Color Purple on Sunday May 8th. Watch here as the cast sends her off with an emotional post-curtain call performance of the Elton John/Dionne Warwick classic “That’s What Friends are For.”
Each cast member takes a turn delivering a solo to a flower-laden Jennifer who is clearly moved by the tribute. After the curtain went down, the cast and crew threw a surprise celebration for the American Idol season 3 alum at Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel. According to the New York Post, the venue was filled with purple lighting and Jennifer was presented with a purple, heart-shaped cake. The Oscar winner joined co-star Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) to sing several songs with a live band including “Uptown Funk” and Prince numbers.
Heather Headley stepped into JHud’s former role this week, alongside fellow cast members, Brooks and Cynthia Erivo.
Jennifer Hudson Reacts to Tony “Snub”
Watch the touching tribute to Jennifer below.
