So.......does anyone like the Color Purple?

After reading such posts as "Shows you regret seeing" or "Cast Recordings you Regret buying" and others, I've noticed that The Color Purple makes many lists. So my question is, are there any Color Purple fans here? I personally enjoyed the cast album though I haven't seen the show (live). Many of the songs are enjoyable and catchy. My favorite is "Our Prayer." I think it gets overshadowed by the other big power ballads. Of course, I'm fourteen so I can't say things like "Well, the score was lacking a bit" or things like that, but I still really like this show. Who else does?

I loved the Color Purple, it truly moved me. But I do feel as though the reason many people don't like it (this will turn heads) is because they are white. Similar to the plays of August Wilson, Alice Walker created a story about the black experience for black people. Do some white people enjoy the show? Of course. Does the story mean as much to them as it does for African Americans? Absolutely not. For me personally the story was almost like a religious experience, I saw it at a point in my life where I needed to be reminded of who I was and what I was capable of becoming and this show helped me to see that. It was the first show that ever made me cry.

But I also have a favorite song from the show that isn’t as popular as others. “Somebody Gonna Love You” I love that song. It stayed with me after I saw the show, but once I brought the OBCR, that song really touches my soul. I think I’ll listen to it now.

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Updated On: 4/24/07 at 07:21 PM

I was caught by surprise when I loved it. And there was such a feeling of love and power in the theatre, true electricity between the audience and the stage. It was a great evening in the theatre.

While flawed, it was a show that I definitely enjoyed. My favorite song was "Our Prayer" as well.

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My favorite song is TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR WORDS.
When I told Donald, he said it was the song that let him know he would be able to choreograph the show.

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I agree with beyondblessed. I also believe that the Color Purple is going to be viewed differently by a black person rather than a white or any other ethnic group. I know black kids who may not be into musical theatre but want to see The Color Purple, and not just because Fantasia's in it (heck, half of them don't even know she's in it). It really depends on where you've been in your life. Theatre has a special way of touching different people in different ways, which is why I love it so much.

But I do feel as though the reason many people don't like it (this will turn heads) is because they are white.

I have to disagree. I and all of my friends that saw it didn't like the show. We are all white, yes, but that had nothing to do with it. I happen to love the story of The Color Purple. The tale is not all about being African American, it's actually quite universal. I am very critical of theatre, and the reason I didn't like it was because most of the music is terrible, and much of the original casting didn't work. I really didn't like LaChanze in the role, nor did I like Brandon Victor Dixon and the rest of the cast. The only people I thought were worth seeing were Elizabeth Withers-Mendes and Felicia Fields. Being white has nothing to do with me not liking this classic American tale.

I haven't seen the show, but I don't really like the cast recording. I don't think the music is very good.

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I see what beyondblessed is saying sort of, its kind of like musical mavens being able to enjoy ****ty musical movies more. It dosen't make them any better, we can just enjoy them more. Not say TCP is nessacarily ****ty though.

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Regarding BeyondBlessed's comment that a lot of white people did not enjoy The Color Purple because they cannot relate to it, I understand why you might think that, however, one of my favorite plays of all time is Raisin In The Sun. And one of my most joyous times at a Broadway show was the musical version,
RAISIN. Now maybe I can't relate to the story the same way
a black person can, but I think everyone will agree that Raisin In The Sun is one of the best plays ever written about black life in America. And you don't have to be black to recognize the brilliance of the author, Lorraine Hansberry.

I can't comment specifically on The Color Purple because I haven't seen it yet. And when I see it, my criticism will be based on how good the score and the performances are.

I am white.

That said, if I were black, I'd really hope that I would still see the show as an amateurish regional production that somehow got to Broadway.

I thought the songs were forgettable, the staging awful and the entire show lacked cohesion. Color has nothing to do with it.

I'm white and I liked it a lot. I also like the movie and the original novel. But I do understand what BeyondBlessed is saying. "The Color Purple" is a story about the black experience in America. While much of it is universal (all women can likely relate to Celie's struggle in some way, for example), I think black people can relate to this story and these characters in a way that white people cannot. That doesn't mean white people cannot appreciate or enjoy this story, it just means we don't understand it in the same way.

To give another example, I'm gay. If I were watching a story about gay experience with a straight friend, I think I would relate to the story differently and more deeply than she would. That doesn't mean she can't appreciate or understand the story or find things in it to relate to, but it's not her story. I appreciate "The Color Purple" and relate to it on different levels, but I also know it's not my story.

2 things in support of the show:

1. I bought the cd for cheap, like $7.99. Upon first listen, I hated it. I think it was the orchestra. That overture is detestable pop schlock and put me in the wrong state of mind for the rest of the music. So I listened a few weeks later, and didn't hate it as much. Then on the third listen, I realized that my initial reaction was wrong and that the music had grown on me, as long as I skip that damn overture. I hate it.

2. Also, a friend of mine, who is the definition of a MT snob, and who is white, took his mom to see the show for her Birthday a few weeks ago. After reading all the reviews from people on this board and the negative reactions, I was sure he was going to come home and trash it to no end.
On the contrary- He cried like a babe, and loved it! So I guess my point from this post is that the show has been able to surprise some who don't think that they will enjoy it, becuase all in all, it's not that bad. We could have a lot worse playing at the Broadway theatre right now than this wonderful story.


And Beyond Blessed's comments are right, if not misguided. yes, the reason this story is so successful and touching is because it has universal themes for anyone to identify with. But white people- our ancestors were never enslaved so we really can't veiw the story from an african American view. We can use our imaginations, and think we know how Whoopi Goldberg felt, but the feeling will never be as real to us as to those who have been given first hand stories of the horrors of slavery from thier great grandmother and great grandfather.
So yes, it will be viewed differently, but that does not mean that one interpretation of the show is more valid than anyone else who saw it. If you hated the show, you hated the show. And if it moved you, then Be moved.

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Updated On: 4/25/07 at 11:10 AM