THE COLOR PURPLE Previews — Page 2

There was no overture in London. That's not a surprise.

Just getting home from tonight's preview and agree with others that Doyle is the master of deconstructing a show; without his direction there would be no reason to put up this revival so soon after the original. The cast is mostly excellent, with Erivo and Danielle Brooks the standouts.

My biggest problem is the show itself and I've never been overly fond of the score. In my mind, The Color Purple should be more Marie Christine than Purlie, but accepting the show for what it is, we might not see a better production than this. Act two is considerably stronger than act one. I feel like the score and book, especially during the first half hour, make far too light the horrible things that happen to Celie. I mean the show opens with Celie giving birth to her second child at age 14, both products of rape by her own father. Now is NOT the time for a gospel number by some fun and sassy church ladies.

Celie just keeps her head down and plows through all the horrible abuse and injustices that befall. She's a noble character and the catharsis that awaits her (and the audience) in act two is well-earned. Whatever deficiencies there may be in the score, I'm Here is not one of them. In fact it's as powerful as they come, and the smaller orchestrations somehow add to the honesty of the emotion, strengthening the number rather than detracting from it.

Cythia Erivo is fantastic beyond words. I had tears streaming down my face during I'm Here and on through the finale. She is so strong. Danielle Brooks was a crowd-pleaser as Sofia and really flourishes during her second act arc. Jennifer Hudson sounded great, but I think she rushed her lines about and needs to work on her diction. Every character keeps talking about how Shug sparkles and steals the show, but in reality it's Erivo who walks away with their scenes together.

I cracked up reading the earlier overheard comment about not know if they were inside or outside...well, I guess Doyle's methods won't be for everyone, but I found this to be yet another strong showing for the director. I liked the nips and tucks he made (no overture or big production numbers) and he certainly knows how to keep things buzzing along without feeling slick or phony. It's a shame he couldn't have worked on the original production when the piece was still being created. Who knows how he may have been able to shape the score and book into something darker or more raw.

I think this revival will make for a nice cast album (the voices of the ensemble are positively glorious) and I truly prefer the smaller orchestrations. I may not have been 100% won over, but this is as good as this show is likely to get.

I agree with the diction comments. I think they could all use some work on their enunciation and diction - except Erivo. She's ready for the critics already!

Updated On: 11/10/15 at 11:45 PM

How many players are in the orchestra?

I lost my Playbill at the theatre, but a times article when it was at the Menier said 8 and that sounds right. The arrangements are okay. The real problem is the music being pumped in and amplified. It might as well be pre-recorded from the audience.

Could someone possibly post the understudy list? The information isn't listed on Playbill Vault.

How were Kyle Scatliffe and Joaquina Kalukango?

I wasn't crazy about Kyle either. I thought Isaiah Johnson was exceptional, though. Joaquina is fantastic. She and Cynthia have great chemistry and you completely believe their bond and love for each other.

Our Prayer, What About Love?, and The Color Purple are three gorgeous songs worth listening to.

Jordan Catalano said: "I'm so on the fence about this one. The original production, I thought was pretty much an all-around awful show. It had a couple of nice songs and some of the performances were quite good, but the book is one of the worst adaptations of any source material ever, I find. So if the only reason to go see this new production is to see Doyle's direction, I think I might end up skipping it and just watching the film, which is arguably the greatest american film ever made.

"

You actually get the story in this production. This version of the telling to me is closer to a true telling of the book. There is no glitz or glamour here. Just true raw, in your face story telling. With little to get in the way. You will leave moved. I truly believe that. Get a rush ticket if you're doubtful. This is the epitome of a revival. In my opinion.

There can and are significant ways to tell the story differently. So that it is more understandable. When the flow is different. The same words can be just as new. This production delivers far more than the last production. And it's 10 times smaller.

Jordan Catalano said: I think I might end up skipping it and just watching the film, which is arguably the greatest american film ever made.

Really? I mean, it's good, but I don't even think it's the greatest American film from 1985 with the word "purple" in the title.

Jordan, Cynthia Erivo is the reason to see this show. This is a star making turn. I was never a fan of the original recording, but after seeing this in London a couple of years, it really is an amazing night of theatre..

If it makes any difference, Doyle has done a fair amount of trimming and made a few cuts to the book and score in an effort to focus the story a little more. This production is not only smaller but shorter and less bloated than the original.