Margo on A Color Purple — Page 3

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

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.

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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.

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Edited to fix a spelling error.

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

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

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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.

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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

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isnt it THE Color Purple?

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

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.

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