The Color Purple - WOW!

[wickedfan2]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 9:51am

I went to see the color purple last week, (thanks to you guys for posting how good it was) and I was so surprised at how much I was crying. I didn't bring tissues so it was really hard for me in about 3 scenes.. Am I just a crybaby or did it happen to any of you?

I enjoyed the show very much, especially the scenes with Harpo and Sofia and they actually got the loudest cheers after Celie of course. I can't believe Felicia Fields is making her debut in this, she was so good. LaChanze was perfect as Celie and I felt all her pain. I feel bad that Kingsley Leggs (Mister) didn't get more applause cause he sure made me hate him so his acting was superb.

The only bad part was at the end during a reunion scene with Celie, a bunch of kids started laughing and almost everyone turned around to glare!

That show is a MUST SEE!!

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 9:58am

It was a beautiful show that will hopefull get its due around Tony time. The sets were spectacular, as were the performances.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 9:58am

Can I add my WOW to the above review?

I was able to see the Boxing Day matinee with a rush seat. Those are terrific seats cause you are so close to the performers...you see everything!

Its a vey powerful story that I was not familiar with. Very moving and the comments I could hear from over audience at intermission and the end were quite strong. This will gather word of mouth and they have hit the jackpot by getting Oprah to market it.

LaChanze gives a terrific performance and what a voice! I had no idea she had such a range. During the finale song she belted an F in full voice with a lil Jennifer Holiday for good measure

Strong support from all the cast and I thought the 3 church ladies were very funny.

[wickedfan2]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 10:30am

That's right... I forgot about the 3 church ladies. They were hillarious.... and they could sangggggggggg!! lol

[other321]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 3:11pm

This show is too long and emotionally disconnected. The songs never "go anywhere" because of the simple and redundant pop lyrics/melodies.
I don't really understand what people see in this production??

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 3:38pm

I have to agree with other on this one. I found the show COMPLETELY disconnected. No character development or real emotion at all, it just seemed to be going through the motions of the story.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 3:44pm

It's not a disaster, but I found the show emotionally uninvolving as well. Why doesn't Celie have a genuine song until 10 minutes before the end of the show? And when she does, why is it THAT song? Why doesn't she get to pour her heart out when her sister is taken away? Why is the big moment when she acquires a backbone and stands up to Mr. accomplished through dialogue and not through song? Or why is there no song at the end of Act One when she finds the letters? I thought the authors cheated both La Chanze and the character of Celie throughout the evening. There's a lot of time and busy staging devoted to the supporting characters throughout the show, leaving the main character a sieve in her own story.

Updated On: 12/28/05 at 03:44 PM

[apdarcey]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 3:51pm

oh no smaxie, i found so much power in the specific way that celie was musicalized. her ability to pour her heart out through song is taken away by the other people in her life, and isn't until she can finally stand on her own two feet that she can actually express herself musically to the audience. if she had had "her number" at any other point the show wouldn't have worked for me, because then they would have cheated the character. to me, it was character development like none other. the musicalization, the book, the staging, all led to that one moment when celie could say "i am beautiful for loving who i really am." that is what this story is about, and the authors could not have hit the jackpot anymore.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 4:09pm

Nice idea, but you don't musicalize your main character's story by taking away every opportunity when she should be singing. And "I'm Here" is not a good enough song to compensate for the absence of musical material for the main character for the rest of the evening.

I'm reminded of Abyssinia, another show where a main character goes through a personal trauma and literally stops singing, but that show still found musical moments for the main character while on the road to her own personal (and musical) salvation.

Updated On: 12/28/05 at 04:09 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 4:16pm

Another thing... no amount of dowdy clothing or lack of make-up can make La Chanze ugly, as several characters keep calling her throughout the evening.

Updated On: 12/28/05 at 04:16 PM

[QMAN03]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 4:29pm

I also cryed. I was crying tears of pain at how bad the show was. It was just a complete and utter mess. There was no development of any characters what so ever. As another person siad, it seemed like they were just running through the motions expecting us to fill in the other parts. Just a bad show. I'm actually getting teary eyes right now.

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 6:30pm

It's funny, in the liner notes for "Do I Hear a Waltz?" Sondheim states that the problem with the show was they were trying to musicalize a character that didn't sing, metaphorically...and I think that's the exact problem here. Why decide to make a musical if the character who's story it is can't sing? All the other songs til the 11 o'clock number are just pointless filler. And the 11 o'clock number lands with a thud as well. It's not AWFUL, but I left the theater without feeling a single thing.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 12:01pm

Another moment that bothered me... I hate when gay characters suddenly go straight (or vice versa), especially just for the sake of a laugh. After never finding love with a man, and finally finding the reassurance and self-respect she needs from a woman (whom she eventually outgrows), the adult Celie, late in the musical, suddenly makes goo-goo eyes at a strapping young hunk. It's as if to reassure the audience that the lesbianism was just a phase. I was willing to give the authors points for being more upfront with the character's homosexuality than the movie, until they took it all away at that moment.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 12:36pm

Here is the review I posted in a thread with other reviews of shows I saw in November.

Color Purple - 11/16 Evening - Hmmm. Well we all know that it should be a fairly big crowd pleaser. I sat Orchestra, row F seat 13. Four rows from the stage on the right. Any farther over, I would suspect you would miss a lot o the right side of the stage. I felt sorry for the lady in the last seat in the 1st row on the right. She had to be missing a lot. We had Jeannette I. Bayardelle as Nettie. She was very good. As was most of the cast. LaChanze was wonderful as Celie. She lost herself in the character and made Celie real. Vocally she was wonderful. A bit rough around the edges, especially during "I'm Here". But she was wonderful. Elisabeth Withers-Mendes nailed Shug Avery. The Church Ladies were fun as comic "relief". (Relief is in quotes for a reason! I will get to that.)Felicia P. Fields should get a Tony nod for Supporting Actrees as Sofia. She commanded the stage every time she was on it. The only disappointing actor, for me, was Kingsley Leggs as Mister. His big second act number "With These Hands" fell flat. Vocally he was off and there was no real emotion. And this is where the "relief" in quotes comes in. The show should have delivered an emotional punch but failed to do so. It went at such a fast pace (even at 2 hours and 40 minutes) that you didn't really have time to feel for any of the characters. Once you started to feel something, it was on to the next scene. I was however impressed with how they adressed Celie and Shug's lesbian "relationship" head on. This, of course, made some audience members uncomfortable. Noticeably the African American members in my section. (Which is no surprise. Just for the record, I am African American) I thought it was done very well and supplied the only real drama during the show. The choreography was fantastic. However the African Homeland number went on to long and I really thought the cast of Lion King had stepped in to do the number. Also missing, though listed in the playbill, was the Overture. The curtain went up and they went straight into Huckleberry Pie. This show needs an overture. Finally, The reuniting of Nettie and Celie was pretty emotionless. It was so rushed. I hope they work on the pacing of this show. Some really good moments are lost because they fly by too fast. And there are a number of times Mr. Griffin could have slowed things down to tug on our heart strings. I have read reviews here where people have said they cried. Maybe I saw an off performance. Maybe they were a bit tired from the matinee and the Creative Coalition reception. But the show still needs to be tightened up a bit and the pacing should be a bit slower. So with all that said (So much for being brief!) Will the show survive in my opinion? Yup. It will be a crowd pleaser as it has some good music, it already is doing good advance sales and will draw more African Americans to, at least, this show and you won't be able to get the title song out of your head (They make sure of that!). My predictions for Tony awards...LaChanze, Felicia P. Fields and Ms. Withers-Mendez. Also nods for choreography, costumes, sets and score. This review is just my opinion! (If there are typos, forgive me. I am using my friend's laptop. I hate laptops!!)

[musiclover]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 6:03pm

I love this show and have ben extremely moved and entertained by The Color Purple at the Broadway. One of the wonderful things about this season is that there is nearly something for everybody on Broadway and off-Broadway.

My employer, (a major New York department store) is about to launch several major promotions around The Color Purple musical. Our research shows that The Color Purple is connecting to audiences and selling tickets similar to that of Wicked. The Color Purple's advance is as big as Spamalot's and the theater is full nearly every performance. It is a very popular show and will be around for a very long time.

It is exciting to see a show with so much music and emotional appeal selling out such a big theater night after night. The Broadway, which has not had a hit on its stage since Miss Saigon is once again hosting one of the hottest tickets in town. Cheers to the Shuberts for adding such a great show with broad audience appeal to the Broadway landscape. This new musical, while perhaps not for everybody (what show is?), is a spectacular phenomenon.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 6:27pm

uncageg - you bring up a good point.

When I saw the show in previews, Overture listed in the playbill, the curtain rose to Huckleberry Pie. I went back after the show opened and there was an overture. Now there isn't? Seems they can't decide if they want one or not...

LaChanze is really sick..hence the roughness.

Smaxie - I agree that the show moves very fast. I walked away feeling something, as did others. But I'm sure many didn't. And I'm sure not everyone feels the same way after leaving. Yes, I happen to love this show...but it is flawed. I think the biggest problem is the book (Walker's that is) is dark in its own way. When mounting a musical - based on something so well known - it has to appeal to children as well.

I never thought that the show was making her lesbianism into a phase. Shug is bisexual - or just likes the pleasure. And I think Celie was confused until Shug came and said - enjoy men and women. Remember the diaologue between Shug and Celie - where Shug asked why Celie doesn't like Mister "on top of her."

I like what apdarcey said about "I'm Here." And, no it isn't the most powerful song. But the song that does get me is the reprise of the title song. When everyone's around her. That's what it's about. Community. Friendship. All those people onstage at the end (those that came to the picnic, etc.) are Celie's friends. They care about her. They love her. Shug returned. Mister "redeemed" himself. That's what it's all about. Celie does have people that care for her.

As far as looks, Kenita made a much uglier Celie than LaChanze. I agree, LaChanze can't be made ugly. But that's not her fault.

Mister's song (now called "Celie's curse") has the right idea. The trouble is, the staging of it - the current staging (if it's how it was when I last saw the show) is just awkward. It splits Mister's song up. When I saw him, he was full of emotion. But he was working against the scene. Even though the original had an awkward beginning, I think it allowed Kingsley (actor playing Mister) to develop emotion.

What's funny is that besides Sofia's songs, most of the emotion is in the book. But I think Shug and Sofia deserve the songs. I think Celie was given the right amount of singing time - one song to her baby, one song at the end. "I'm Here," however, isn't the strongest song - you're right. The lyrics are nice, but there is something missing.

It seems they are still working on the show, which makes every revisit all the more exciting. It's nice to see a show that is getting better and it's nice that Griffin is working on improving it - and didn't give up once the reviews came out (even though they were positive).

P.S. In Atlanta, there was no "I'm Here." Celie only sang those words, "But I'm here" at the end of the reprise of "What About Love?" (after Shug leaves). I'm glad they added the song in...it was needed.

Of course, Atlanta was just about a completely different show.

[BroadwayRandy0711]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 4:54am

I really enjoyed this show. Yes at times the famous lines that everyone knows was delivered a little too fast, but it was made up through the songs and dance. I do however think that the Dream Sequence is a little too long, but it does show the love that she has for her children.
I never really thought of Celie and Shug being Lesbians. I always thought that since Celie was never show love and affection before that she was just going with it.
I agree that LaChanze really takes on the role of Celie and makes her life-like and real.
Besides the Dream Sequence being a little too long I wouldn't change much of the show. It is truly outstanding as are all of the performers.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 10:14am

"I'm reminded of Abyssinia, another show where a main character goes through a personal trauma and literally stops singing, but that show still found musical moments for the main character while on the road to her own personal (and musical) salvation."

It's a wonderful show, with a fantastic score.

Tootie 'The Most Horrible' Smith
St. Louis, Missouri



Updated On: 6/4/06 at 10:14 AM

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 1/16/06 at 10:53am

wow is the right word, from what ive heard of this show! i need to see this in july!!! sounds unbelievable to me!!!
1 week and like 1 day till the cd!!!!


oh, and do you think elisabeth will respond to my fanmail (send something back?)