BWW TV Exclusive: Composing The Color Purple

[James Sims]

Posted: 2/18/08 at 9:42am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=25235

Enjoy!
BWW LA

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/18/08 at 10:22am

Amen.

I couldn't agree more.

This show is glorious and has brought a completely new demographic to Broadway.

I felt from the start that the composers of THE COLOR PURPLE easily wrote the Best Score in the year that it was nominated, and the fact that THE DROWSY CHAPERONE won for its confectionery, traditional, '20s white score, where the true star of that show was the book, while THE COLOR PURPLE's rich, deep, R+B, soul-infused score was left out in the dark was a real shame.

I hope these composers aren't discouraged by the theatre community's general dismissal yet the audience's embrace of their show and that they come back and give us more of what they provided so beautifully with THE COLOR PURPLE.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 2/18/08 at 10:37am

That show has a breathtaking score, the shows just amazing. Sad to see it close. :'(

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/18/08 at 12:41pm

Foster, I think your point was negated when you referred to Drowsy as "white." What is that suppose to mean? I don't think "Best Score" should be a matter of race, but a matter of talent. And Drowsy has a great, catchy score, where as Color Purple has some duds.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 2/18/08 at 2:08pm

Thanks for posting! The Color Purple is such a great show!

[James Sims]

Posted: 2/19/08 at 1:16am

glad you enjoyed Keep an eye out for my next video interview feature with Megan Hilty and Shoshana Bean.

[broadwayrules]

Posted: 2/19/08 at 10:43am

I enjoyed the show a lot, and am sad to see it go. There was some great music.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/19/08 at 11:33am

I can't wait to check this out later!

I've always wondered how they got the score to come together. It must have been so difficult for all 30 of them to come together and write that score.

[jv92]

Posted: 2/19/08 at 1:04pm

It is a really crappy score. Enough said. And not because the music is dull and the lyrics are weak, but because they really missed the boat on the protagonist of the story, Celie. There were plenty of opertunities for her to sing and the writers ignored them. They gave her one lousy song to sing at the end. For God's sake- Doctrow's mute character of Sarah in Ragtime sang three songs in that musical adaptation! The Color Purple could have been the Porgy and Bess of our time, but instead, it became a perfect example of very weak music theatre writing.
Updated On: 2/19/08 at 01:04 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/19/08 at 1:08pm

I love the score and listen to it more than Drowsy. As much as I enjoyed Drowsy and will see it again on tour, I do think Color Purple should have won best score. And it's Celie, not Cellie!