Margo on A Color Purple- Page 3

[ShuQ]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 5:24pm

Thanks for the review Margo. It's nice to hear an opinion from the most trusted member on the board.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 5:52pm

Excellent review as always Margo

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 5:54pm

Question...what exactly is papering?

Margo, great review, as usual. I see the show on the 16th of this month. I am going with a friend who got me a ticket. This show is the reason I am flying in to New York. Can't wait till the spring to see it. I am not expecting a masterpiece but I am sure it will be an entertaining evening. I will post my review after I see the show.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 5:58pm

Papering services get complimentary tickets from shows that are struggling or early in previews that want to increase attendance and word of mouth, and distribute them to their members (who join by paying an annual fee -- usually between $85 and $110 -- and then a small service charge per ticket). If you want to give the appearance of a full house, but sales aren't quite there yet, you call a papering service.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 6:01pm

I had two papered tickets last week in row R of the orchestra. VERY respectable seats. The offering appeared for about three minutes and was gone. For once, I was in the right place at the right time.

That being said, and at the risk of sounding patronizing, I enjoy both Munk *and* Margo's reviews. Their critiques come from different perspectives, but both are very well-thought through and articulated. But being at different stages of life, and having amassed different amount of experiences, invariably leads to differing perspectives and filters, if you will.

Munk, I agree with much of what you said. No. The stakes aren't high enough, for instance, but I still *really* enjoyed the show. I was entertained, I liked most of the music and LOVED a couple of numbers. So while I think you've hit the nail on the head about a lot of things, I also think that your critical eye...that of a serious student of theater, at the student stage of his life (NOT a criticism, at all, by the way)...makes you hyper-aware of the flaws.

I'm getting to the point in my life (oh, let's be honest, I got there a LONG time ago...) where I just want to be entertained by something that doesn't flat out insult my intelligence and hopefully allows me to feel something. The show I saw did that.

It is absolutely a more shallow experience than reading the book. But I agree with Margo that it's a crowd pleaser.

This isn't one of those conciliatory "why can't we all get along" posts, because lord knows I'm much more interested in contentious threads than the hugfests. But I don't see the need to take differing reviews personally, especially when both are perfectly intelligent and reasonable.

********
Edited to fix a spelling error.

Updated On: 11/7/05 at 06:01 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 6:04pm

Very well said, I agree completely!

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 6:05pm

Thank you Margo! I kind of figured that's what it was.

[robbiej]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 6:14pm

Ah...I remember the days when I was in college and would tear any and everything apart (not in a bad way...in a very analytical way) because all of those skills were so fresh in my mind. But it also had to do with the fact that you rarely ever performed in a piece of crap show! I went from a Durang to a Chekhov to a Stoppard in the span of 4 months! Even the flawed shows I did (THE BAKER'S WIFE) were still glorious. And then I got into the real world. And I had to put over some absolute sh*t (there was a lot of great stuff too). Putting over absolutely terrible material makes you very appreciative of even the mediocre stuff!

It's very interesting to see the different takes on a piece from people at very different points in their lives.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 6:19pm

In other words, Munk, when you get as old, jaded and haggard as I am and life has tossed you more than your share of bitter disappointments, you might be able to find it in your heart to cut a little slack to a harmless little show like TCP that's doing it's best mostly and doesn't suck that bad.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 6:25pm

And keep in mind that Margo is a mere child compared to me.

[Mojojo5]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 7:55pm

Lord, claws in ladies. Y'all are spilling to much jungle red nail polish for my liking. Anyways, your faboo review really hit upon many of my problems with The Color Purple. First off, Shug really needs a number to see when she reconciles with her father. I realize that the scenario was created for the movie, but the audience is being deprived a moment of pure musical magic only because the second act is so rambling and the show needs to wrap up quickly. I mean, the perfect song is already there, simply do a reprise of the opening "Mysterious Ways" (this would also give Carol Dennis a chance to do something else as the Choir Leader... a wail-off between she and Elisabeth would be marvelous). Also, I agree that Celie's first number with her newborn child needs to be better, an added verse would let the audience enjoy the song more and would let us see how weak Celie is before her emotional growth (also, if you are only going to give La Chanze one diva number in act two, let her sing another verse of it please). And for god's sake, put buttons on those songs!! Anyways, if we need to cut anything, the "Africa" sequence could be shortened (although I loved every moment of it) and maybe one or two of the Church Ladies' commenting numbers could be cut. And if you are going to give Mister a song of redemption, let it us see him experience a longer journey. The song started and ended halfway before I thought it should have. Also, please god let them work on the fight choreography. I felt no dramatic tension whatsoever when Mister breaks apart Celie and Nettie. Anyways, I agree that they have a solid hit on their hands with some much need tinkering before officially opening.

Zach.... god, did I ramble enough for ya

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 7:59pm

"and life has tossed you more than your share of bitter disappointments"

As they say, when life hands you lemons, make a musical!

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 8:54pm

isnt it THE Color Purple?

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 9:29pm

Just figured I'd chime in and say I really disliked this show and don't feel I'm being overly critical. I have enjoyed my share of theater this year (Sweeney Todd, Miracle Brothers, and See What I Wanna See being standouts), I even, actually enjoyed In My Life, but I found Color Purple quite a bore and completely disengaging. I don't normally quite feel so adament about shows I dislike but I feel like the overwhelming love for the show while I was in the theater pushed me in the opposite direction only because I felt the thousand other people in the room were being duped into enjoying this show.

Margo is right about one thing though, you'd have to be deaf dumb or blind to sit in on a performance of that show and not realize it's getting more positive reactions than probably any other show I've ever seen.

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 9:38pm

Thanks for the review Margo...Glad to have you back! I'm looking forward to seeing this one!

[jimmirae]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 10:48pm

I'd just like to go on record as saying that I very much enjoy Margo's Reviews and even though we may not see eye to eye on every point, I feel that they are credible, decent and above all HONEST and I like that. Would that I could say that much for most well paid critics at large! Thanks Mucho Margo!

[QMAN03]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 10:53pm

Wow. It's amazing to me how varied people's opinion on this show is. Hopefully I'll agree with Margo and enjoy it. I'm seeing it in December.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 11/18/05 at 6:23pm

I saw the show last Sunday. The show is definitely a hit and definitely a crowd pleaser. I can't argue with any of Margo's points. The cast is wonderful, the book is problematic and the score ranges from mediocre to excellent. Despite the show's many flaws, the amazing cast really makes the show work- by the end of the show, even a jaded theatre queen like me actually had to brush away a couple of tears.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 9:42pm

Now that I've seen it (and will return again!) I can comment on some of Margo's points, I think.

"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"

I agree that the moment was passed over quickly, but at that point, I think they were trying to end the show and get into the very emotional finale. A song may have bogged down the show a bit? But, a song may have also been out of place (going back to the book). Although Shug talks about her father (does she? I remember maybe Mister talking about the relationship...), it was never really highlighted. A song may have made a big deal out of something that was never really highlighted.

"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"

That was also a huge problem, I found. Not to mention, the double casting of the children confused me a little. Also, I saw the Pa understudy, who also plays Grady. Since Pa isn't in Act 2, the actor played both roles. When he first walked on as Grady, some of the audience gasped. Not knowing the story, and before Shug introduced him, I thought that it was Pa who had been married to Shug (even though Pa was graying, and Grady was not). Oh well.

I can tell, though, that the show does not destroy the book.

Also, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the beginning when we find out Celie's two children are through Pa. A lot of people gasped because they throw that little fact at you from nowhere. I knew this, from what I have read about the book, so I wasn't as surprised. But it seemed like an important part that was just passed over.

Also, re: the book.

I really liked the scene where Pa says if Mister buys the cow, he'll give him Celie. I think that received many remarks - and I thought was more 'dramatic' than in the book.
Updated On: 11/20/05 at 09:42 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/20/05 at 10:01pm

Whats the color purple mean, referring to?