THE COLOR PURPLE Previews- Page 8

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:11am

Glad to hear you were invited back, iluvtheatertrash. Sorry to hear you had such a terrible experience.

[Broadwaystar2]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:24am

iluvtheatertrash said: "I actually have NOT gotten tickets to return. They have yet to offer, and I certainly won't be spending money on it. 

 

I wasn't scared enough to leave mid-performance, no, and I was frankly too embarrassed to stop the show. I would never be able to do that. I was mortified enough by the fact that she raised her voice to the point of the actors hearing us. But I was most certainly scared enough to not stay in or near my seat during intermission, and to bolt from the theatre the second the lights went out at the end of Act Two. 

 

Regardless of what my fear level was, the staff should've acted.

 

"Great so now people can stop bad mouthing the show with horrible racial comments about black people and black show behavior all due to this post that had gotten completely out of hand. It has gotten so far off of the topic. That I feel bad for the actors who are doing a phenomenal job on that stage. Just because 1 person acted out doesn't mean the entire production should be judged which is exactly what is happening here. I don't recall this type of back lash or racially motivated talk when the gentleman jumped on stage to plug in his phone. Or when the man kept recording at Patti Lupones show. Bad behavior happens all the time. But to make it racial and about the show is down right ignorant. 

 

Updated On: 11/16/15 at 10:24 AM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:34am

Glad it worked out for you!

Also, I hope the theater management is made aware of the poor job the ushers and house staff are doing.  

As for reviews, has anyone else seen it recently?   I'm still moved by what I saw last Thursday.

I struggle with the story of The Color Purple, and find it emotionally wrenching.  This production manages it all beautifully and with joy.  Which is not something I ever expected.  

I'm looking forward to this cast recording.  Beautiful performances.

Updated On: 11/16/15 at 10:34 AM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:38am

I am not responsible for the racial comments that were made. Don't put those on me. I'm sorry it thread-jacked, as it wasn't my intention.

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:41am

Yeah, broadwaystar. It's clear theatertrash in no way intended on starting a big race debate. Let's just try to move on. This production sounds beautiful and I'd like to read more comments about it throughout this preview period.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:50am

In other news I got a rush ticket for tonight! So excited! She said the rush seats were in the boxes? Surely they must give out side orchestra as well. I hate being in the box seats, but I'm excited either way!

[Broadwaystar2]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:55am

iluvtheatertrash said: "I am not responsible for the racial comments that were made. Don't put those on me. I'm sorry it thread-jacked, as it wasn't my intention.

 

"I in no way accused you of the backlash. I merely stated the fact of the matter that this post has gone left. And I don't want it to turn people away for a beautiful story being told. 

 

[Broadwaystar2]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 10:58am

RippedMan said: "In other news I got a rush ticket for tonight! So excited! She said the rush seats were in the boxes? Surely they must give out side orchestra as well. I hate being in the box seats, but I'm excited either way!

 

"

Ripped, the box seats aren't bad. The stage is built in a way that you can see everything. I thing being elevated is a great way to see this production. And the set is on levels. So I think you'll enjoy it either way. 

[macnyc]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 11:33am

In case anyone is interested, there's a TimesTalk on the revival of The Color Purple, and you can watch online:  

 

http://timestalks.com/detail-event.php?event=alice_walker,_jennifer_hudson,_cynthia_erivo_and_john_doyle

 

Also, it's being broadcast on the CUNY channel on TV if you happen to get it, this Friday, Nov. 20, at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Guest include Alice Walker, Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson, and John Doyle.

[JeffDaEgg2]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 11:39am

I saw this on Friday and the ushers were probably the most "hardcore" ushers I've ever seen at the theatre.  As someone mentioned previously, they went up and down the aisles telling everyone to turn off their cell phones (quite loudly) for at least five minutes before curtain.  They did the same before act two began.  There were also ushers on each side of the orchestra watching the audience from behind the curtains (the far sides of the orchestra, under the boxes) and they'd pop out as they identified audience members doing god-knows-what.  Then there was someone who looked more like a security guard (a man, and not your typical usher) that would come out of nowhere and monitor audience members in center orchestra.  So...I definitely can't agree that they are being lazy.  If anything they were rather distracting, but I realize that bad audience members would be even more distracting.

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 11:46am

Well it sounds like they are taking the appropriate steps to manage any audience craziness that could occur.  That is a relief to hear. 

Updated On: 11/16/15 at 11:46 AM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 12:43pm

I doesn't surprise me that the producers reached out to iluvtheatertrash and invited him back. It also does not surprise me that we are now reading stories of the ushers stepping up and trying to prevent this from happening again. People in the industry follow these boards. Word gets around and the last thing the producers want is to lose business due to bad word of mouth. 

The producers probably had a talk with the staff involved that this was not to happen again. People were probably put on notice, and rightfully so. No one should have had to endure that unpleasant experience at the theater. The staff handled it poorly and I'm glad it was made public so that it could be corrected and stopped from happening again.

In the end I am glad iluvtheatertrash got invited back and I hope this time he has a much better experience.

[Petralicious]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 2:55pm

The horrible and frightening story by Iluvtheatertrash is the reason I do not go to the movies anymore. This kind of behaviour is very common there. Hopefully this is an isolated incident and not part of a trend.  I agree that it should not be considered racial but instead one of class or lack of being taught how to behave.

 

Just as cringy to me is white people on this thread telling black people on this thread to watch what words that they use as it is racist and offensive. 

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 3:15pm

@iluvtheatertrash  I am so sorry about your experience attending this show.  I had already made the decision that the audience this production would probably attract is probably not the most theater savy,;  and therefore not for me.  

Updated On: 11/16/15 at 03:15 PM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 4:52pm

The incident was Thursday. It's possible they received a stern talking to right before Thursday's performance as my email was sent to the producers early Friday afternoon. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 5:01pm

What is the running time of the show?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 5:03pm

^ It was 2 hours and 20 minutes on Saturday night.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 6:17pm

So excited for tonight! Hopefully by being in the boxes I'll get to see the action on and off stage! Whoot! #shade

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 11:41pm

Wow I'm glad I didn't read this thread before seeing the show. I just got back from the show tonight and the audience was as good as you could ever hope for! No cell phones, no talking, no disruptions, no one yelling or whooping during the quiet moments. The ushers were really strict, telling every person no less than three times to have phones off and not to take pictures or video during the show. Even the ticket scanners as you walk in told everyone this!  I've never seen that at another show. 

Cynthia Erivo, my god what a powerhouse. Jennifer Hudson may be the name draw, but Erivo is whom everyone walking out of the theatre tonight was talking about. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 11:44pm

Just back from this and I'm over the moon! 

First off, for those rushing, the box seats offer a fantastic view. It's a minimal set and minimal staging, so you really don't miss a ton. You might miss the depth of the stage - like when the ensemble stands along the back wall, but all in all it's a great seat at that price. 

I've never seen The Color Purple before. Never read the book, never seen the movie. And I was pretty intrigued by the whole thing. On one hand it did feel a little white-washed and clean for such a raw story, but at the same time to quote Whizzer "Celie just keeps her head down and plows through all the horrible abuse and injustices that befall" which is kind of what the show does? It just puts its head down and mentions it but doesn't dwell, which is why the catharsis at the end is so great. 

The standout is Cynthia hands down. She just nailed the whole damn thing. Her voice is just so strong and beautiful, and while she can riff with the best of them, she just has such a pure beautiful voice that suits the music. And her acting was insane. I kind of wish I could have seen her in Sister Act instead of Patina. While there is some stiff Tony competition, I'm pretty sure she nailed it. 

Hudson was interesting. Mind you it's only been a week of previews, but I think she'll get there. She needs to come up in like a blaze of glory and own the damn stage. She's got the presence and the audience is on her side. However, she never really lets loose and belts to the rafters like we know she can. She's controlled. Which is maybe her way of figuring out what she can do 8x a week. But her big solos, while beautifully sung, weren't the standouts. My friend commented that he wishes at the end during the curtain call she would just wail and sing, but it's not Shug's show. It's Celie's. So it's a weird balance. You want Hudson to own the show, but it's tough cause her numbers aren't really set up like that. Her duet with Celie is gorgeous, and her Push The Button is fine, but the show as directed here can't really sustain a production number. I mean, the fifteenth time we see someone swing a chair around it's like okay... 

Brooks was fine. She was giving me Orange is the New Black. Her "Hell No" was super shaky and made me nervous, but as the show went on she owned the part. 

I kind of love and kind of hate Doyle's direction. I found the same thing with The Visit. There's just moments of pure bliss - I loved how he made Nellie the mailbox at the beginning - but then some just super stagnant moments like Mister's Act 2 solo. I was waiting for the chairs to really pay off, and while I get the concept - they're all the memories of her past - they just weren't used as well as I thought they could have been. What if they had been hung closer together and people could have climbed them or sat on them, etc. And I don't get why Doyle doesn't use lighting at all? Everything is just a wash of white. You have these beautiful floorboards that could have light shining through them, etc. But he doesn't seem to want any theatrical magic at all. I was waiting for pretty stage pictures, but nothing. Hm. 

And whoever said the score was weak is entirely wrong. I loved pretty much every song, and there were so many weird and interesting harmonies. The lyrics aren't brilliant, but the characters aren't exactly Harvard educated. So it works. 

Overall I was really impressed and loved it and will probably go back later in the run.

 

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/16/15 at 11:55pm

Thanks for your thoughts. How was the audience's behavior? 

Also, I fully expected John Doyle keep Hudson reined in, not overpowering the show with her vocals and presence. I'm sure it's a conscious decision. It sounds like she's giving a very natural and grounded performance. 

Updated On: 11/17/15 at 11:55 PM

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 11/17/15 at 12:00am

Ripped (or anyone), can you comment on your rush experience? What time did you arrive, what was the line like, how many tickets were sold, etc.? All the typical rush questions. I'm planning on trying this week sometime.

Thanks!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/17/15 at 12:02am

I didn't notice any crazy behavior, although Monday's tend to be an industry night, so there were a lot of people clapping for their friends or waving at their friends - which felt odd. The only really issue was people laughing loudly at "the kiss." Like, get over it. 

And yeah, I mean it's interesting cause you want her to be showy and big and robust, but you also don't want the audience longing for her to return or else we don't care about Celie's journey. At this point, Cynthia is fine. I would have liked a little more vocal energy out of her line readings, but other than that she's good to go. Hudson needs some work to just get comfortable in the role and in her movements. 

[anmiller07]

Posted: 11/17/15 at 6:34am

Have they added a reprise of "The Color Purple" to the curtain call yet? It wasn't there on the first preview, but I was told it was being added. 

[Broadwaystar2]

Posted: 11/17/15 at 9:48am

anmiller07 said: "Have they added a reprise of "The Color Purple" to the curtain call yet? It wasn't there on the first preview, but I was told it was being added. 

 

"Yes they have also going back again tonight!!