NEW YORK — Jennifer Hudson may become an EGOT on Sunday.
The actress and singer, who is already an Emmy, Grammy and Oscar winner, could add a Tony Award to her achievements for her role as a producer of the hit Broadway musical “A Strange Loop.”
Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy was nominated for 11 Tony Awards this year, including the grand prize of best musical.
Hudson, the “American Idol” castoff turned “Dreamgirls” star is among several celebrities who have thrown their support behind Michael R. Jackson’s show about a Black gay writer who works as an usher at a Broadway musical.
“Oh, I think that would be amazing for her,” lead producer Barbara Whitman told the Daily News. “She’s been a huge champion of the show and has been so wonderfully supportive.”
Hudson, 40, made her Broadway debut in the 2015 Scott Sanders-produced revival of “The Color Purple” for her role as blues siren Shug Avery. Although the show was nominated for four Tony Awards, she was shut out.
But the odds are on her side to win a Tony on Sunday with “A Strange Loop,” which has already swept up other theater awards this season.
“For us to have someone like Jennifer Hudson just share the things that we share on social media, because she has over 3 million followers and reaches people that we couldn’t possibly reach ... it’s a huge asset,” Whitman said.
Whitman, a former theatrical actress turned six-time Tony Award-winning powerhouse behind such shows as “Angels in America,” “Fun Home” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” corralled a who’s who of stars to sign up as “A Strange Loop” producers. They include Scottish actor Alan Cumming, TV host RuPaul, Broadway star Billy Porter, actress Mindy Kaling and actor and filmmaker Don Cheadle.
“A lot of them are people I’ve worked with before that I knew from the industry,” Whitman said. ”So I just put out the word ... I really wanted to bring in producers of color. And I also wanted to bring in young producers who didn’t have the time and have the chance.”
Whitman, who made her Broadway debut producing an adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun,” has her sights set on taking “A Strange Loop” on a national tour soon.
“I’d love to take the show around the country and hope we get to do productions in London and other foreign countries,” she said.
“To take Michael’s work somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean would be unbelievable ... I just want to see this show succeed. I want to see millions of people see it all over the world.”
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