The Color Purple Reviews- Page 3

[CompanyGuy]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:30pm

Tomorrow I will be seeing "The Drowsy Chaperone" so I will let you know about Sutton Foster.
I am glad that The Color Purple is getting decent reviews. It will be a hard Best Actress year.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:30pm

...and if they do bring TDC to Broadway this season, they will most likely beef up Foster's role. I doubt that a pretty well known Broadway performer such as Foster with two Tony nods under her belt and one win will settle for a supporting role. I just hope they dont screw with the show too much because from what I hear its hysterical and really entertaining.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:32pm

Apparently Foster stops the show with a number called "The Show-Off." Be sure to post a review.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:34pm

The BEST ACTRESS nominees will most likely be as follows:

Patti LuPone (Sweeney Todd)
LaChanze (The Color Purple)
Maria Friedman (The Woman in White)
Laura Benati (The Wedding Singer)
and
whoever will be playing Mary Poppins. I hope to God it's Laura Michelle Kelly who from what I hear, delivers a breakout, excellently pieced together performance.
Updated On: 12/1/05 at 11:34 PM

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:35pm

I thought Poppins isn't opening until Fall 2006.

Yes, Playbill says it doesn't open until October 2006...so MARY POPPINS will be eligible for the 2007 Tonys.

Updated On: 12/1/05 at 11:35 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:38pm

Mary Poppins opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre November 16, 2006 -- approximately a year from now.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:41pm

Oh, okay I wasnt sure about that. Thanks :) I wonder who'll take the last slot then

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:49pm

Well, there's Edie Falco in Threepenny Opera, Kelli O'Hara in Pajama Game, Jenn Gambatese in Tarzan and maybe somebody from Tale of Two Cities.....

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:53pm

USA Today is Positive:

"This socially and spiritually conscious Purple lays claim to a varied tradition in musical theater, dating from shows such as Wicked and Caroline, or Change back to some of the classics of Jerome Kern and Rodgers and Hammerstein, who broke ground in dealing with issues such as domestic violence and racism.

That's not to say Purple is as complex or transcendent as, say, Carousel, or Caroline for that matter. Still, it's often moving and well-served by a cast that ably sings soul, jazz, gospel and blues.

LaChanze's Celie is a marvel, aging from an awkward 14 to 54 without letting us doubt a word or breath. Elisabeth Withers-Mendes and Felicia P. Fields also stand out as two sassy alpha females who befriend her, one becoming a sort of soul mate.

All three women figure into the final scene, which is about as surprising as cake after a birthday dinner. Still, if you leave the theater with dry eyes ... well, I guess you're not as much of a sucker for sap as I am."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/2005-12-01-color-purple-review_x.htm

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:57pm

Ones up on theatermania.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:57pm

Theatremania is Positive:

"The show's creators are to be commended for dealing with their heroines' sexuality, hetero- and homo-, quite frankly. Yet even as the story grows more compelling, one feels frustrated. Why don't the show's talented composer-lyricists, Brenda Russell, Alley Willis, and Stephen Bray, give LaChanze a chance to show what she can do vocally? By 10:15, they've handed an inspiring ballad to Shug (the show's title song, which gets a resounding reprise at the end), a pleasant comic duet to Harpo and Sofia ("Any Little Thing"), and a crowd-pleasing group ditty called "Miss Celie's Pants." They've even given Mister a less-than-necessary number. So where is "Celie's Turn?"

Intellectually, one can defend the decision to not have the musical's main character deliver a big aria until her feelings are fully formed. Fortunately, the life-affirming 11 o'clock number "I'm Here" does the trick nicely. (Mind you, this is not to say that LaChanze really needs the song to prove that Celie has completed her transformation; this petite but powerful performer can say it all with a gesture or a glance.)

I suspect that many facets of The Color Purple -- not just LaChanze's performance -- will be remembered at Tony Awards time. I'd put my money on the charismatic Fields, who's making a marvelous Broadway debut, and Paul Tazewell's consistently terrific costumes. (Hair designer Charles G. LaPointe also deserves special mention.) Director Gary Griffin may have a tougher time getting to the podium; his ensemble work, in particular, seems uninspired. (If it proves to be any consolation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences snubbed Spielberg for his direction of the movie, leading to a huge brouhaha.) As for the show itself, it's too early in the season to tell if it will take home the blue ribbon. But all those involved -- and that includes you, Oprah! -- should consider themselves winners for bringing Walker's work to the stage so smartly."


http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/7219

Updated On: 12/1/05 at 11:57 PM

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 11:58pm

Hehe. Oprah just gave David Letterman a signed photo with her and Uma Thurman.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:00am

I wonder what Barnes will say.

What other newspapers/magazines etc should be letting out a review?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:07am

The Post, Daily News, Variety, Journal News, Bergen Record, Hartford Courant, Newark Star-Ledger, New York Sun, Bloomberg (John Simon), Wall Street Journal, Curtainup.com, Nytheatre.com
should be out by tomorrow.

New York Mag and the New Yorker will be out Monday and the Village Voice will be out Tuesday.

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:08am

Nytheatre takes forever to post theirs.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:08am

Phew, finally got back and had to check out the reviews!

I am so happy the show is getting positive reviews...haven't been reading all of them.

And I love Brantley's special mention of (<----) HELL NO!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:16am

Variety is Mixed-to-Positive:

"The raw folk-lyricism, epistolary structure and hard-edged conviction of "The Color Purple" make Alice Walker's Pulitzer-winning novel a challenging proposition for translation to a populist entertainment medium. Neither Steven Spielberg's prettified, Amblin-ized 1985 movie nor this big, messy patchwork of a musical entirely do justice to the story of poor black women from the Deep South in the first half of the 20th century. But in both cases, the book's vibrant characters and soaring emotional arc remain uncrushed. While the show crudely reduces the sprawling feminist saga to cartoonish episodes, it can count on an audience willing to connect the dots.
Walker created an indelible world as evocative and affecting in its depiction of sorrow and injustice as it is of joy, self-discovery and the redemptive power of love. Anyone familiar with the story brings a deep prior connection to these characters and their troubled lives. If the warmth surging from the audience on the show's first press night was any indication, it will be a Rialto fixture for some time; the mighty promotional muscle of presenting producer Oprah Winfrey certainly won't hurt that cause.
______________________________________________________________

In an honorable but ultimately laborious attempt to harness all of Walker's themes, Norman's book plods through the various chapters, shuffling far too many characters and refusing to make the kind of streamlining choices that could have given the overlong show clarity, nuance and immediacy.
________________________________________________________________

The show's design work generally is striking; while Brian MacDevitt's lighting takes its cue too eagerly from Spielberg with an excess of florid, rainbow-hued skyscapes, the stage pictures often are bold and impressive.

Written by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, three experienced songsmiths new to musical theater, the score is an agreeable stew of gospel, R&B, blues, jazz and soulful pop that sounds like '80s-era Dionne Warwick. Like everything else in the show, the musical elements are a far-from-seamless mix, alternating flat stretches with stirring peaks, and too many songs feel incomplete.

But when the cast gathers onstage for the title number's uplifting final reprise, the mainstream auds to whom this show is pitched will go out on a feel-good high, elevated by Walker's affirmation of the resilience of the human spirit.


http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117929016?categoryid=33&cs=1

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:21am

>>But when the cast gathers onstage for the title number's uplifting final reprise, the mainstream auds to whom this show is pitched will go out on a feel-good high, elevated by Walker's affirmation of the resilience of the human spirit.<<

Hell, no.


Mayella Ewell
Maycomb, Alabama


PS. The Wall Street Journal describes TCP as 'two hours and forty-five minutes of high-priced phoniness.' Which about sums its up. Updated On: 12/2/05 at 12:21 AM

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:28am

Dave just walked Oprah out of his theater to the door of the Broadway Theater. It was a nice interview, but she seemed happy to be away from him.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:34am

How do you find out what the advance sales are on a show?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:44am

Howard Kissel's review wasn't so great...

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:45am

The Washington Post panned it. Marks review came across as very sarcastic and snide. I don't know if you can read it here or not. Margo - maybe you can get it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/01/AR2005120101782.html

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:48am

"Although a Greek chorus of local busybodies (Kimberly Ann Harris, Virginia Ann Woodruff and Maia Nkenge Wilson) is irritatingly overused, the cast exudes a uniform vocal dynamism."

I thought they were a better part of the show...

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:52am

WickedRocks: Why curious as to what I'll say when I see the reviews? I ALWAYS want shows to get good reviews. That means longer runs, that means more jobs, that means more theatre.

While I liked aspects of the production, i just thought it was seriously, seriously lacking. I saw the second preview - and I said even then that I can't wait to go back after opening to see how it was changed. It's very possible that much was changed and the show is now comprehensible...

But what would you THINK I'd say? Of course, I'm happy for them all.

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:52am

I can't stand that tone of voice in any writing. He turned me off with the opening paragraph and I didn't give any weight to his statements after that.