#1
Posted: 11/7/05 at 10:53am
Well, first off I just want to say that you'd have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to be able to tell that this is going to be a HUGE crowd-pleasing hit that'll likely run for a few years, at least. It's been a VERY long time since I've been in a theatre in which the audience had a comparable emotional response -- cheers, laughs and tears throughout (everyone around me -- male and female -- was weeping and passing tissues back and forth during the final scene). While the presence of Ms. Oprah Winfrey herself may have had a slight impact (she arrived shortly before the curtain), there was definite, noticeable electricity in the air even prior to her arrival (and it's doubtful that her attendance alone could have sustained the audience's full and declamatory engagement through the show's nearly three hour running time).
Ticket sales are already quite brisk (non-premium orchestra seats on the weekend are already scarce for the next several months). As a comparison, two years ago, I remember getting a discount flyer for WICKED and ordering a pair of tickets roughly a month before perfromances started for the first week of previews. I got two tix in the third row center of the orchestra (and the show was selling well even then -- 90+% attendance -- but not yet selling out). About a month ago, I went by the Broadway Theatre (also one of Broadway's larger houses) box office to get a single discount ticket for any date last week. I ended up with 3rd row ..... Mezz. A great seat, of course, (I'm not complaining) but I found it remarkable that there wasn't a single orchestra seat closer than row T available for the entire week.
Anyway, so how was the show Mrs. Lincoln? While there are flaws with the book, some weak points in the score, some missed opportunities musically and right now, a bit too much of everything (it runs roughly 2 hours 50 minutes), overall I enjoyed the show a great deal. It's greatest assets are a wide-ranging score that is a tuneful blend of blues, gospel, r&b ballads, traditional musical comedy character numbers, and African-themed rhythms, eye-popping set (John Lee Beatty) and costume designs (the lighting is fine, but I noticed a few missed cues and a lack of proper focus here and there that needs adjustment), explosive choreography from the legendary Donald Byrd, and most notably a large cast of supremely gifted actor/singer/dancers who display some of the most goosebump-inducing gospel/r&b singing to be heard on any stage. Add to all that a compelling, emotionally evocative narrative, well-known to most in attendance from the film and/or the novel and breathlessly paced staging from Gary Griffin and you have a quite entertaining show that frequently is on the vege of blowing the roof off of the theatre, but somehow never quite succeeding in doing so.
Part of the problem is in Marsha Norman's book, which at times is entirely too detailed and faithful to the novel (one example -- the yam story in Act II has to go -- it's included to help humanize Mister, but is unnecessary and bogs things down) and at others, employs too much shorthand and dashes off certain key plot points far too quickly (Papa taking Celie's second child; Nettie's banishment by Mister; several moments in the middle of Act II where the narrative goes flaccid and loses coherency and drive). While most in the audience know the story and can fill in the plot holes, newcomers to the material are bound to miss a few things and, nevertheless, bookwriters shouldn't rely on their audience to tell their story for them.
Also, Norman (and Griffin) needs to do a better job of delineating the passage of time more gradually and clearly -- Celie seems to go from being 16 to 60 or whatever in little more than a scene (LaChanze suddenly pulled out her old lady voice from DESSA ROSE and aged several decades within a sentence or two). There's also the problem of entirely too much exposition, which in some ways is unavoidable with this piece, given the Walker novel is told through Celie's letters to God, so her monologues are in some ways part of the fabric of the story.
I do, however, want to commend her and Griffith on their unflinching and unapologetic handling of the lesbian aspects of Shug and Celie's story. It was presented in such a simple, honest and matter of fact fashion that the audience seemed to accept and embrace it completely -- no tittering or cat calls as I have heard at some other shows in the past which featured same sex kissing and the scene (featuring one of the better duets in the show "What About Love?") received quite an ovation at its conclusion.
As far as the score, although there are several truly terrific numbers from r&b vet Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray in their various of genres and styles, there are also a couple of unnecessary balladsand a song or two that should be replaced with more distinctive material (Celie's lament for her soon-to-be-taken newborn child, "Somebody's Gonna Love You" is a moment that deserves something with a stronger lyric and melody, such as "Your Daddy's Son" from RAGTIME).
I was also surprised at some of the missed opportunities for musicalization in this production -- moments that scream out for a song: Shug's reunion with her father (THE HIGHLIGHT of the film version IMO), is not dramtaized at all and just briefly remarked upon after the fact; Miss Celie's Curse on Mister is done here almost entirely as a dramatic scene with the only music consisting of a single short (though impressive) vocal riff from Celie -- given the set up, the tension, the anger, the heightened emotions at that moment, I frankly expected a musical explosion on the order of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from DREAMGIRLS. ANY sort of raw, emotive, bluesy, torchy, accusational, confessional ballad right there, would have stopped the show cold. Instead, nothing. A major missed opportunity.
The orchestrations from Jonathan Tunick are up to his usual standard for the most part, although several of the numbers could definitely use clearer and more pronounced buttons to them. This is especially true for, no pun intended, "Push De Button" and a couple of the other blues numbers. Tunick is known for his brilliant work with the more sophisticated musical palate of Sondheim etc, but he needs to lose all of that taste and refinement for some of this stuff which is basically faux-mudbucket blues and gospel. The endings need sledgehammers, not subtlety. Yes, it's cheap, but it's what the material cries out for and what the audience expects.
I can't possibly praise the cast enough -- the talent pool runs very deep and wide here. LaChanze captures every aspect of Celie with warmth and heart and carries the weight of the show (physical and emoional) with little discernable effort -- she's a little powerhouse (I hope her voice can stand up to this demanding score). Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, whom according to her Playbill bio is apparently a singer making her acting debut (!), manages to pull off a feat that few veteran actors could -- she completely and totally embodies an iconic character like Shug Avery with all of the charisma and stage presence that that requires. Truly a remarkable singer as well as actress. Felicia Fields makes for a properly brassy, domineering Sofia. Kingsley Leggs has the right combination of menace and brashness as Mister and manages to fully humanize the character by the end. Renee Elise Goldsberry makes for an empathetic and radiant Nettie. Brandon Victor Dixon is both properly comedic and touching as Harpo, while Krisha Marcano is aptly cartoonish as Squeak. And I would be remiss if I didn't commend Kimberly Ann Harris, Maia Nkenge Wilson, and Virginia Ann Woodruff for their nattering, tattling scene-stealing church ladies.
THE COLOR PURPLE is a flawed, but highly entertaining, crowd-pleaser of a show that seemed to have the audience in the palm of its hand from the moment the curtain rose. Laughter, tears, gasps, applause and whoops of approval seemed almost Pavlovian conditioned throughout the evening. While it may not be a GREAT show at this point (and still may not be by opening), doesn't fully live up to the material's potential and isn't (or trying to) re-inventing the genre of musical theatre (and heck you could certainly lodge those same accusations at megahit WICKED), what is currently on stage at the Broadway has an energy and a certain felicitous, infectious joy about it that is difficult to resist. While its shortcomings are many and easy to spot, none are critical or lethal to the material's overall appeal with audiences. Critics be damned (though I think the reviews will be mixed-to-positive with the cast, designs, choreography and some of the score singled out for praise -- and some will certainly be remembered come award season), between the, I predict, ecstatic word-of-mouth and the imprimatur of Oprah Winfrey (the cast will be on the show Friday) this show will deservedly run for quite some time.
http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/the_color_purple.htm
Ticket sales are already quite brisk (non-premium orchestra seats on the weekend are already scarce for the next several months). As a comparison, two years ago, I remember getting a discount flyer for WICKED and ordering a pair of tickets roughly a month before perfromances started for the first week of previews. I got two tix in the third row center of the orchestra (and the show was selling well even then -- 90+% attendance -- but not yet selling out). About a month ago, I went by the Broadway Theatre (also one of Broadway's larger houses) box office to get a single discount ticket for any date last week. I ended up with 3rd row ..... Mezz. A great seat, of course, (I'm not complaining) but I found it remarkable that there wasn't a single orchestra seat closer than row T available for the entire week.
Anyway, so how was the show Mrs. Lincoln? While there are flaws with the book, some weak points in the score, some missed opportunities musically and right now, a bit too much of everything (it runs roughly 2 hours 50 minutes), overall I enjoyed the show a great deal. It's greatest assets are a wide-ranging score that is a tuneful blend of blues, gospel, r&b ballads, traditional musical comedy character numbers, and African-themed rhythms, eye-popping set (John Lee Beatty) and costume designs (the lighting is fine, but I noticed a few missed cues and a lack of proper focus here and there that needs adjustment), explosive choreography from the legendary Donald Byrd, and most notably a large cast of supremely gifted actor/singer/dancers who display some of the most goosebump-inducing gospel/r&b singing to be heard on any stage. Add to all that a compelling, emotionally evocative narrative, well-known to most in attendance from the film and/or the novel and breathlessly paced staging from Gary Griffin and you have a quite entertaining show that frequently is on the vege of blowing the roof off of the theatre, but somehow never quite succeeding in doing so.
Part of the problem is in Marsha Norman's book, which at times is entirely too detailed and faithful to the novel (one example -- the yam story in Act II has to go -- it's included to help humanize Mister, but is unnecessary and bogs things down) and at others, employs too much shorthand and dashes off certain key plot points far too quickly (Papa taking Celie's second child; Nettie's banishment by Mister; several moments in the middle of Act II where the narrative goes flaccid and loses coherency and drive). While most in the audience know the story and can fill in the plot holes, newcomers to the material are bound to miss a few things and, nevertheless, bookwriters shouldn't rely on their audience to tell their story for them.
Also, Norman (and Griffin) needs to do a better job of delineating the passage of time more gradually and clearly -- Celie seems to go from being 16 to 60 or whatever in little more than a scene (LaChanze suddenly pulled out her old lady voice from DESSA ROSE and aged several decades within a sentence or two). There's also the problem of entirely too much exposition, which in some ways is unavoidable with this piece, given the Walker novel is told through Celie's letters to God, so her monologues are in some ways part of the fabric of the story.
I do, however, want to commend her and Griffith on their unflinching and unapologetic handling of the lesbian aspects of Shug and Celie's story. It was presented in such a simple, honest and matter of fact fashion that the audience seemed to accept and embrace it completely -- no tittering or cat calls as I have heard at some other shows in the past which featured same sex kissing and the scene (featuring one of the better duets in the show "What About Love?") received quite an ovation at its conclusion.
As far as the score, although there are several truly terrific numbers from r&b vet Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray in their various of genres and styles, there are also a couple of unnecessary balladsand a song or two that should be replaced with more distinctive material (Celie's lament for her soon-to-be-taken newborn child, "Somebody's Gonna Love You" is a moment that deserves something with a stronger lyric and melody, such as "Your Daddy's Son" from RAGTIME).
I was also surprised at some of the missed opportunities for musicalization in this production -- moments that scream out for a song: Shug's reunion with her father (THE HIGHLIGHT of the film version IMO), is not dramtaized at all and just briefly remarked upon after the fact; Miss Celie's Curse on Mister is done here almost entirely as a dramatic scene with the only music consisting of a single short (though impressive) vocal riff from Celie -- given the set up, the tension, the anger, the heightened emotions at that moment, I frankly expected a musical explosion on the order of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from DREAMGIRLS. ANY sort of raw, emotive, bluesy, torchy, accusational, confessional ballad right there, would have stopped the show cold. Instead, nothing. A major missed opportunity.
The orchestrations from Jonathan Tunick are up to his usual standard for the most part, although several of the numbers could definitely use clearer and more pronounced buttons to them. This is especially true for, no pun intended, "Push De Button" and a couple of the other blues numbers. Tunick is known for his brilliant work with the more sophisticated musical palate of Sondheim etc, but he needs to lose all of that taste and refinement for some of this stuff which is basically faux-mudbucket blues and gospel. The endings need sledgehammers, not subtlety. Yes, it's cheap, but it's what the material cries out for and what the audience expects.
I can't possibly praise the cast enough -- the talent pool runs very deep and wide here. LaChanze captures every aspect of Celie with warmth and heart and carries the weight of the show (physical and emoional) with little discernable effort -- she's a little powerhouse (I hope her voice can stand up to this demanding score). Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, whom according to her Playbill bio is apparently a singer making her acting debut (!), manages to pull off a feat that few veteran actors could -- she completely and totally embodies an iconic character like Shug Avery with all of the charisma and stage presence that that requires. Truly a remarkable singer as well as actress. Felicia Fields makes for a properly brassy, domineering Sofia. Kingsley Leggs has the right combination of menace and brashness as Mister and manages to fully humanize the character by the end. Renee Elise Goldsberry makes for an empathetic and radiant Nettie. Brandon Victor Dixon is both properly comedic and touching as Harpo, while Krisha Marcano is aptly cartoonish as Squeak. And I would be remiss if I didn't commend Kimberly Ann Harris, Maia Nkenge Wilson, and Virginia Ann Woodruff for their nattering, tattling scene-stealing church ladies.
THE COLOR PURPLE is a flawed, but highly entertaining, crowd-pleaser of a show that seemed to have the audience in the palm of its hand from the moment the curtain rose. Laughter, tears, gasps, applause and whoops of approval seemed almost Pavlovian conditioned throughout the evening. While it may not be a GREAT show at this point (and still may not be by opening), doesn't fully live up to the material's potential and isn't (or trying to) re-inventing the genre of musical theatre (and heck you could certainly lodge those same accusations at megahit WICKED), what is currently on stage at the Broadway has an energy and a certain felicitous, infectious joy about it that is difficult to resist. While its shortcomings are many and easy to spot, none are critical or lethal to the material's overall appeal with audiences. Critics be damned (though I think the reviews will be mixed-to-positive with the cast, designs, choreography and some of the score singled out for praise -- and some will certainly be remembered come award season), between the, I predict, ecstatic word-of-mouth and the imprimatur of Oprah Winfrey (the cast will be on the show Friday) this show will deservedly run for quite some time.
http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/the_color_purple.htm
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Updated On: 11/7/05 at 10:53 AM
