Money Rolls for 'Purple'

June 22, 2007 -- LUCILLE Goldsborough, 82, was touched by the movie version of "The Color Purple" when she saw it back in 1985. But she was moved to the point of tears when Fantasia won "American Idol" in 2004.

So when her church, Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal in Fort Washington, Md., offered a seniors' trip to see Fantasia on Broadway as Miss Celie in "The Color Purple," Goldsborough was among the first to sign up.

On Wednesday, she and 55 other "Jewels of the Ebenzer" (as the seniors call themselves) boarded a Peter Pan bus at 6 a.m. to make the 61/2-hour trip to New York to see their idol.

"I saw every 'Idol' program she was on," Golds-

borough said of Fantasia during the ride up. "And I prayed for her. She's a very special girl."

The Jewels of the Ebenezer - which included a few grandchildren and the odd husband - is just one of hundreds of groups from black churches around the country that have made the pilgrimage to see "The Color Purple" since it opened in the fall of 2006.

The groups have become a marketing phenomenon, turning the $10 million musical, which received mixed notices when it first opened, into a very profitable show for its backers, who include Oprah Winfrey.

Stand outside the Broadway Theatre on any given day, and you'll see four or five buses, some from as far away as Chattanooga and Atlanta, unloading their passengers.

(Not all the groups are from churches. The show also attracts student groups, labor groups, even family reunions.)

What was a steady stream of business last year has turned into a torrent since Fantasia joined the show in April. "The Color Purple" now regularly grosses more than $1 million a week, and advance ticket sales are nearing $10 million.

Church groups are an enormous and, for Broadway, which has long struggled to attract black audiences, relatively untapped market.

Ebenezer African Methodist alone has a 10,000-member congregation. The church has already sent two groups to "The Color Purple" and plans to send more in the fall.

The cost is $160 per person and includes an orchestra ticket, transportation and dinner after the show at Applebee's.

As the bus pulled out of the Ebenezer parking lot on Wednesday, Joyce Williams, a retired nurse, offered a travel prayer, asking God to bless "our driver, his hands and his feet, as he brings us safely to New York."

He did, though somewhat slowly, prompting Jean Hicks, a semiretired health-care worker who looks after the Jewels, to remark that "Mr. Harris is certainly not going to be arrested for speeding."

Most of the Jewels dozed during the fist leg of the trip, but a stop at Bob's Big Boy perked everybody up. Fantasia fever broke out when Hicks put on a DVD, "Celebration of Gospel," which featured the singer.

"I pegged her as the winner right from the beginning," Williams said.

Fantasia, live onstage, did not disappoint. Critics have cheered her performance in "The Color Purple," and on Wednesday, belting out the song "I'm Here," she blew the roof of the theater to such an extent that the Shuberts will probably have to raise that "facilities charge" they tack on every ticket to repair damage.

After the show, The Post arranged a surprise for some of the Jewels: a meeting with Fantasia.

Goldsborough threw her arms around the star and said, "Oh, Fantasia, I watched you from the very beginning, and I prayed for you, I prayed for you."

"Mama, keep praying for me," Fantasia said, wiping away tears.

"You all got me crying now," she added.

The Jewels were crying, too.

"Look what God has done for you," Hicks said. "You are so blessed." She added: "I'm your new grandma!"

"Yes ma'am, you sure are," Fantasia replied, hugging her.

Later, over dinner, Goldsborough said: "Some stars get a big head when they make it, but Fantasia's stayed true to herself. She's humble."

"You can tell she's getting used to her popularity," said Hicks. "You know, she's got the designer dress and the designer shoes. But she's down-to-earth. It all hasn't gone to her head."

Having had rush of celebrity, the Jewels were ready for more.

Catherine Blue, a retired government worker, turned to Carol Fineman, the press agent for "The Color Purple," and asked: "The next time we're here, can you get us in to meet Oprah?"

Blue laughed, adding: "Handle it, Carol, handle it."

(Source: New York Post | Michael Riedel On Broadway | Money Rolls for 'Purple')

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