Review of 'The
Color Purple' by Ed Katz 6-29-16
Walking into the
Bernard Jacobs Theatre in the heart of Broadway, I wondered why this production
of 'The Color Purple' was revived so soon after the original production, which
ran for over two years, closed in 2008.
Fortunately, I
was able to get that question answered by one of the show's composers and
lyricists, Allee Willis, who said, "We saw the production in London with
Cynthia (Erivo). We saw it done in a way we never imagined and we all felt that
had to be brought here."
Good move.
This triumphant revival
won this year's Tony Awards for Best Musical Revival and
Best Actress in
a Musical for Cynthia Erivo's astonishing performance as Celie.
Erivo is making
her Broadway debut but she has starred in many productions on London's West
End- and received several nominations for her portrayal of Celie in 2013.
However, I
marveled at how this entire cast, even given several challenging vocal numbers,
had not a weak voice among them. Every actor sings to the rafters- and that is
rare to find.
So what is
different about this 'Color Purple'?
It still tells
the story of how an abused African-American woman learns to rise up and find
her faith in herself- with help from her sister and her friends.
What is unique
is how most of the other characters show growth, too. And that made this
revival resonate so well emotionally. It wasn't done in a heavy-handed way (as in
the more lumbering original production), yet Tony-nominated director John Doyle
still made it both effective and powerful.
Photo: YouTube
The show still
includes several strong, larger-than-life women's roles, besides Erivo's Celie-
most notably two: Shug Avery, now beautifully played by the talented singer and
Broadway veteran Heather Headley (who, by all accounts, even outshines Jennifer
Hudson's well-received original portrayal in the role); and the part of Sofia, with
a force-of-nature performance by Tony-nominated Danielle Brooks- who is also a
star of the Netflix hit TV series 'Orange is the New Black'.
The only two
featured male roles, played by Isaiah Johnson, as Mister, and Kyle Scatliffe,
as Harpo, also show real character growth as the story progresses. While
Scatliffe almost plays Harpo over the top, he actually brings a winning
combination of determination, strength, love- and comic relief. Yes, there are
several genuinely funny moments in this 'Color Purple'- another welcome change from
the original- as they serve to make the poignant moments even more powerful.
A small
criticism is for the spare set design, rendered by the show's director, John
Doyle. Doyle's sensitive direction brings a new, clear focus to this revival
but his overly simple set actually hindered the power of a couple of the scenes-
most keenly felt by the absence of Harpo's juke joint- but this is really a minor
flaw in an otherwise stellar revival.
Cynthia Erivo's
award-winning Broadway debut- which receives a rare show-stopping standing
ovation in the second act (when was the last time you saw that?)- is not to be
missed.
Combine that
with a win for Best Musical Revival- all in this re-imagined, re-invigorated
musical version of a marvelous and potent story- and it becomes clear it was
the right move to revive this musical. Given these great results, you can't ask
for much more than that.
And you know where you can get the best tickets for 'The Color Purple' and other shows, on or off Broadway: Applause Theater & Entertainment Service, 800.451.9930 or online at Applause!
Rating:
4-1/2 stars (out
of 5)
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