Perry to Bring Madea Play to Portland, Seattle in 2010

ATLANTA (AP) -- Movie producer and actor Tyler Perry says he is taking his sharp-tongued character ``Madea'' back on tour.
Perry posted a message on his Web site Saturday that said he had taken some time off in the past few months ``so I could spend my mother's final days at her side.'' His mother, Willie Maxine Perry, died Dec. 8 at age 64.
Perry says he will begin touring with his new play, ``Madea's Big Happy Family.'' Tyler will once again use a wig and padded suit to portray Madea, the central character of many of his films, including ``Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail.''
The actor says he is eager to have Madea on stage for the first time in five years. The first leg of the tour begins Jan. 4 in El Paso, Texas, then goes on to Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle and Portland, Or.