“Twenty years and 49 million regular viewers later, Winfrey’s sudden and unexpected endorsement of the upcoming musical version of that very same Alice Walker story has propelled what was looking like a midtier Broadway opening heavily dependent on positive reviews into a critic-proof international megahit. Oprah’s impact on a Broadway show is unknown territory — Winfrey has never before formally got behind a Broadway show (or any other piece of theater, for that matter).”