'The Color Purple' Cast Sing 'Total Praise' to God in Final Performance (Video)
A very emotional cast of the hit Broadway musical "The Color Purple" spent their final moments on stage together singing a rendition of the gospel song, "Total Praise."
Sunday marked the final performance of the Broadway revival of "The Color Purple," which tells the story of a resilient woman who triumphs over the oppressive men in her life all the while discovering a love for colorful pants.
Before the curtain closed one final time the entire cast came out on stage to address the audience. Actress Patrice Covington then proceeded to give the farewell speech on behalf of everyone.
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Before her speech, Covington acknowledged former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who was in attendance at the final show where she was accompanied by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea. The audience cheered and gave Clinton a standing ovation.
"In closing, we want to ask you to take the words from this show in your heart forever and ever and hold them," Covington told the audience. "Try to live by them as much as possible because in a world like what we live in today, what we need the most is love. We love you, and as we do when someone leaves our show, we sing. So today will be no different, hopefully we can get through that.
The cast then sang the popular Richard Smallwood song, "Total Praise."
"Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills,
Knowing my help is coming from You.
Your peace, You give me in time of the storm.
You are the source of my strength.
You are the strength of my life.
I lift my hands in total praise to you.
Amen, Amen. Amen, Amen. Amen, Amen. Amen, Amen!"
The cast passionately worshipped God and many had their hands lifted in praise while others were unashamedly being touched by the words of the song.
The matinee showing on Sunday was the last performance for the Tony Award-winning production.
According to The New York Times, along with the Clintons, several celebrities were also in the audience, including Jonathan Groff, Mariska Hargitay, Gayle King, Debra Messing, Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter, Phylicia Rashad and Anna Wintour.
