The Color Purple Announcement Today
The Color Purple Announcement Today#25
Posted: 3/16/15 at 4:06pm

The Jacobs is a great house for this intimate version of the show with only 1078 seats.
That sneak peak is powerfully moving.
I don't know Cynthia Erivo but after that viewing...WOW and the double bill of her with Jennifer Hudson...they are gonna blow the roof off the Jacobs!
The Color Purple Announcement Today#26
Posted: 3/16/15 at 4:28pmI didn't know who Cynthia Erivo was until I heard her sing "I Can't Sing" from the XFactor musical which flopped in the West End. That performance (on youtube) gave me goosebumps. I wish her nothing but success. She has a really outstanding voice.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#27
Posted: 3/16/15 at 4:32pm
Cynthia Erivo ~ Check this out!
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Video-Roundup-Meet-Broadways-Next-Celie-Cynthia-Erivo-20150316
Now I am excited to see this show!
The Color Purple Announcement Today#28
Posted: 3/16/15 at 4:43pmWhy wasn't Erivo nominated, at least, for an Olivier?
"In Oz, the verb is douchifizzation." PRS
The Color Purple Announcement Today#29
Posted: 3/16/15 at 4:49pmBecause productions at the Menier Chocolate Factory are not eligible for the Oliviers.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#30
Posted: 3/16/15 at 5:15pm
... AGAIN!?
Weird theatre. Weird casting. Pass.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#31
Posted: 3/16/15 at 5:20pm
Roof shattering ?
OK
The Color Purple Announcement Today#32
Posted: 3/16/15 at 5:30pm
Considering the raves this production got in London, I'm really looking forward to this — especially in the relatively intimate Jacobs.
Does anyone know what songs have been cut from the original production?
The Color Purple Announcement Today#33
Posted: 3/16/15 at 8:05pmI feel sorry for the people paying Broadway prices to watch Jennifer Hudson not-act onstage.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#34
Posted: 3/16/15 at 8:33pmI don't think there has ever been a less necessary revival in the history of Broadway.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#35
Posted: 3/16/15 at 8:39pmJordan Catalano, you're aware there was less time between the last two GYPSY revivals, right?
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#36
Posted: 3/16/15 at 8:44pmI'd see Gypsy four times before I saw this once.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#37
Posted: 3/16/15 at 9:06pm
"Jordan Catalano, you're aware there was less time between the last two GYPSY revivals, right?"
Or La Cage aux Folles?
The Color Purple Announcement Today#38
Posted: 3/16/15 at 9:09pm
The La Cage revival was unnecessary, but that GYPSY revival was probably the last chance for Patti to do it on Broadway and it worked out very well for her, even thought the production did not recoup.
Updated On: 3/16/15 at 09:09 PM
The Color Purple Announcement Today#39
Posted: 3/16/15 at 9:14pm
I really liked a lot of the original production too. The opening half hour or so was thrilling, with genuinely Broadway-worthy songs and lyrics. The ballet that opened Act II was equally electric, a theatrical telling of Nettie's letters from Africa. Those 15 minutes were everything a great musical sequence should be.
Lots of the in-between was less developed and less theater-worthy, simplistic lyrics or unmemorable music, or long patches of uninvolving exposition. So cutting a half hour sounds like a great idea if they cut the right half hour!
Jennifer Hudson as Shug? Could be interesting although a huge belt sound doesn't seem to be the main point of Shug's singing range. I'd happily see the show to see how good the fit is though.
Updated On: 3/16/15 at 09:14 PM
The Color Purple Announcement Today#40
Posted: 3/16/15 at 9:45pmPhyllis, I'm hoping somehow Jennifer Hudson won't be as terrible of an actress on stage? Maybe? She is a terrible film actress, but I respect her taking on a smaller role as her Broadway debut. I thought she was alright in her small role in SEX & THE CITY, though I do think somehow she gets worse every time I see her (she was dreadful in EMPIRE last week).
The Color Purple Announcement Today#41
Posted: 3/16/15 at 10:10pm
ray, your hope is sexxy/hott, but it ain't gonna happen. My go-to to point out the fact that she and her Oscar still can't act used to be her Weight Watchers commercials, where she wasn't even convincing as herself, but now it's that "Ooh, child" commercial, the version where they stop her mid-note and she says, "That. Felt. Really. Good."
Updated On: 3/16/15 at 10:10 PM
The Color Purple Announcement Today#42
Posted: 3/16/15 at 10:14pmSo how did she win the Oscar for Dreamgirls (besides singing And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going)?
The Color Purple Announcement Today#43
Posted: 3/16/15 at 10:20pmZeitgeist, mostly. From the second that scene was shot the machine was telling the world it was going to win her an Oscar. She's not terrible in it, and I'm sure that's all to do with Bill Condon. I think he sometimes lacks a coherent vision as a director, but he gets good performances out of people. And if someone told me she was given a line reading before most takes I wouldn be surprised.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#44
Posted: 3/16/15 at 11:01pmThis was stunning in London, the company blew the roof of the theatre and was meet with a good ten minute standing ovation.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#45
Posted: 3/16/15 at 11:09pm
Haha, PRS! When you're right, you're right
So how did she win the Oscar for Dreamgirls (besides singing And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going)?
Ummm, she won an Oscar precisely for singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." I thought she was so out of the world amazing when I first saw her, and every time I watch the movie, her line readings become more and more wooden. You can also tell how much editing creates that performance, try looking for a dialogue scene that features Hudson for more than a few seconds in each shot. Also, remember Condon was very open about how he had to do some sort of "boot camp" for Hudson to get her acting up to snuff.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#46
Posted: 3/16/15 at 11:30pmHaving seen the glorious and roundly praised London revival, I can't help but think some of this nonsense is simply racism. So be it.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#48
Posted: 3/16/15 at 11:49pmWhat "nonsense"? People seem to be almost universally excited about this production and Cynthia Ervivo. The only reservations I see (except for Jordan, who has never liked this musical) are about Hudson's acting.
The Color Purple Announcement Today#49
Posted: 3/17/15 at 12:04am
For anyone who has not heard Cynthia in this version please listen ASAP
http://youtu.be/CbvaQaB5JfM
She is absolutely incredible and I cannot wait to be there November 9th giving her a standing ovation after performing "I'm here." Words cannot contain my excitement!
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