Tyler Perry Takes a Break From the Stage

Tyler Perry, who is known to simultaneously work on stage, TV and film projects, has announced he will be taking a break from his popular stage show, Madea, to focus strictly on television and film. 

“As much as I love to be out on stage and doing a live Madea show, the time has come again for me to take a long break from the stage,” Perry said in a message on his website. 

This isn’t the first time the actor, producer and playwright decided to take time away from the stage. In 2005, Perry stopped touring to focus on filmmaking. 

Again, he says, “I have some major projects that I’m working on that will require a lot of my time and effort.”

Madea fans, however, can still look forward to upcoming dates on the current tour. “I did not want to stop this tour until I hit as many cities as possible,” Perry wrote. “So I’m going to finish out this fall leg of the tour and then take a long break.”

Tyler Perry’s latest feature film, Madea’s Witness Protection, earned $26.4M during it’s opening weekend in June. Up next for Perry is Alex Cross, which premiers later this year and The Marriage Counselor, set for 2013.