Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
#1Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 4:29pmHer first day back was June 30th in Washington D.C. Has anyone seen it? How is she holding up?
#2re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 4:32pmHopefully her throat doesn't bleed this time!
#2re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 4:50pmHollidayForever, you've got to be kidding me. June 30th was a couple of days ago and you're asking how she's holding up after two performances. Give me a break!
bwayfan7000
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/28/09
#3re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 4:52pmI have tickets to this on July 30th, and I am looking very forward to it. I have only seen Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center, and look forward to seeing something in one of the bigger theatres.
"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos."-Stephen Sondheim
#4re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 5:04pmI love this show and hope to see it come back to Northern California one day!
#5re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 5:11pm
FlyingMonkey1223 what do you mean by "Hopefully her throat doesn't bleed this time!"
Did while she was in the show? I haven't heard about this fi it did.
"i had no idea billy elliot was about one boy's triumph over epilepsy."-FindingNamo
#6re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 5:14pm
Apparently, she was singing incorrectly and her throat started bleeding. This is why she missed many performances during her NY run, and they eventually had an 'alternate Celie" that performed matinee and some evenings to avoid further damage to her body. Hopefully she has worked with a vocal coach since NY to improve her technique, as to avoid anymore problems with her voice.
Updated On: 7/2/09 at 05:14 PM
#7re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/2/09 at 5:18pmOh wow! That is why you should you proper singing technique.
"i had no idea billy elliot was about one boy's triumph over epilepsy."-FindingNamo
#8re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 1:37amYes, I asked how she was holding up because in many interviews she expressed how she originally didn't want to go back to the show. She explained how physically, emotionally and vocally challenging the role is. She finally agreed to do it after producers twisted her arms, and her many fans begged her to. I am one of Fantasia's biggest fans. I guessed I should have been more clear, I meant how was she holding up after having stepped away from the role for so long, I didn't mean how she was holding up vocally. Sorry.
#9re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 5:24amI have tickets to the July 10th performance, and have been invited to the cast party afterwards. Maybe I can ask her then? :)
"Rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love."
-Neil Patrick Harris
dkonbroadway
Swing Joined: 12/6/05
#10re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 7:50amoh there goes kalimba being so sweet and humble like she always is....
#11re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 10:10amShe probably agreed to do it because she is B-ROKE! I am sure she is getting a sweet payday. I send all my love and positive energy to the box office staff. They will need it during her run.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
philcrosby
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/04
#13re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 10:27amHer attendance and the reasons for it aside, she gave one of the best performances I have ever seen in my life. Bar none.
#14re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 10:36amI have heard nothing but accolades from those who have seen her. I guess there is just something very primal about her process that makes it hard for her to sustain herself vocally and emotionally for a long haul. Maybe some acting and voice lessons are needed. Poor Tasia. As someone who attempted to see her 4 times to no avail, I hope she works this out.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
arabella
Understudy Joined: 1/20/08
#15re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 8:02pmI hope Fantasia is doing better. I heard she has a reality show coming up on VH1 to try to reinvigorate her recording career.
bubbleblonde
Understudy Joined: 7/9/08
#16re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/3/09 at 10:37pm
Why so much surprise at her raping her cords? She literally sounds like a cat getting its tail stepped on when she sings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeGrYLozGeQ
I love her as an entertainer for all the wrong reasons.
#17re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/5/09 at 1:23pm
I saw Fantasia at the tour stop at the Kennedy Center in DC yesterday. The entire cast seemed to be going through the motions in the first act, but the second act was slightly better. Fantasia's diction was wretched, but her acting was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be and she was less screechy than I thought she would be (though still not, by any means, appealing to my ear). However, the entire show paled in comparison to the original Broadway one. Maybe it is due to the fact that it was a holiday and the tour has been out for so long. It was not horrible, just not very good.
"Why do you care what people might say? Why try to fit into their design?" (Side Show)
Updated On: 7/5/09 at 01:23 PM
#17re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/5/09 at 1:27pmI've been contemplating seeing this tour. I saw the original tour cast when it started in Chicago and it was phenomenal! However, all the commercials with Fantasia screeching up a storm doesn't make me wanna step anywhere near the theatre.
"Chicago is it's own incredible theater town right there smack down in the middle of the heartland. What a great city! I can see why Oprah likes to live there!" - Dee Hoty :-D
#18re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/5/09 at 3:27pmI saw Kenita Miller as Celie and she was PERFECTION! Wait until Kenita comes back.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
hilltop
Understudy Joined: 7/13/05
#19re: Fantasia rejoining the Color Purple National Tour.
Posted: 7/5/09 at 5:18pm
Fantasia received rave reviews last week from the local press. The Washington Post called her a "revelation": "Fantasia not only carries off the whole stage-acting thing in 'The Color Purple,' but also practically carries the entire lumbering musical on two solid shoulders. She is, in other words, a wonder -- a natural -- and ample reason to go and find the joy in the more satiny moments of a sometimes syrupy evening in the Kennedy Center Opera House. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070203992.html
The Washington Times: "Fantasia "shines in winning cast:"
"The Great White Way is littered with the sorry carcasses of celebrities -- Usher, Debbie Gibson, Rosie O'Donnell come to mind -- who've attempted to star in a Broadway show. So, does an "American Idol" winner have the chops to pull off a major role in an emotionally complex musical? The answer is a resounding 'yes.'
Fantasia, the 2004 "Idol" winner, has the voice -- powerful and tremulous with feeling -- and the presence to make an indelible Celie in the musical version of Alice Walker's 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 'The Color Purple.'" http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/03/purple-reigns-supreme-at-kencen/
The Baltimore Sun didn't re-review Fantasia at the Kennedy Center, but gave her a rave review two years ago when she was on Broadway. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/am-purplereview0518,0,7133146.story. Instead of a new review, they did a feature story and interview. http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bal-ae.li.fantasia02jul02,0,5728358.story
I would suggest seeing her, if you haven't already had a chance to do so. President Obama will likely be there at some point, although I don't know when. I also expect the movie to be announced before her final show in LA.
Updated On: 7/5/09 at 05:18 PM
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