BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: December 19, 2005

THE COLOR PURPLE

Name brand recognition is a key element that can take a show from the red to the black, even if the critics throw ink at it. By their very nature, critics tend to look askance at name brand recognition as it encroaches on their influence to shape opinion. It's the New Age story of the power of the press versus the marketing of the industrial complex.

When THE COLOR PURPLE rolled into the Broadway Theatre with the backing of such titanic figures as Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones and the Weinstein brothers of Miramax, you might have thought it was Disney all over again. When The Mouse first came to Broadway with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST over a decade ago, the quill-bearing intelligentsia pooh-poohed it, but to no avail. That beast is still running at eight performances a week. So much for the power of the fourth estate over the name brand recognition.

The new musical adaptation of the Pulitzer-winning Alive Walker novel THE COLOR PURPLE did not receive scathing notices. Tepid is more like it. Marsha Norman's libretto took the greatest hits with claims that is did not hold true to the book and the movie. There were also issues with episodic scene structures and a main character, Celie (LaChanze), who is far less vivid than many of the supporting players. And, while these observations may not be baseless, those making them only begrudgingly mentioned that the audience simply loved the show.

Directed by Gary Griffin and choreographed by Donald Byrd, THE COLOR PURPLE may indeed have a less shading than the original source or the previous adaptation, but that does not mean this is a hobbled musical. In my opinion, Celie's sojourn makes a great musical, one that is full of heart and song. And, yes, Walker's leading character is a bit bland, but it's watching her develop and find a voice that makes her such a compelling figure.

THE COLOR PURPLE is an old-styled, grand and glorious, whopper of a musical that offers stunning sets, vivid costumes, rousing music and scintillating choreography. Driven by Norman's well-paced book, Griffin's steady staging and a bluesy score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, THE COLOR PURPLE draws you in and, then, plucks at your heartstrings.

Leading lady LaChanze, best known for her ONCE ON THIS ISLAND vehicle, is ideally cast as a woman who has been worn down by the men in her life and uplifted by the women. Among them is her devoted sister Nettie, lovingly portrayed by Renee Elise Goldsberry, the sumptuous Shug Avery rendered raucously by Elisabeth Wither-Mendes, and the bodacious Sofia brought to life by Felicia P. Fields who makes her dazzling Broadway debut.

Kinsley Leggs gives a rattling performance as the sadistic Mister who endlessly berates Celie, only to discover too late that she is a woman worth keeping . Brandon Victor Dixon ably plays son Harpo who defies his father by marrying Sofia, then loses her by taking his father's marital advice. Honorable mention goes to Krisha Marcano who plays Squeak and steals the spotlight as she takes on the mighty Sofia.

For all that can be said about the corporate machine and the marketing muscle behind it, THE COLOR PURPLE is a show that will leave you feeling you got a bang for your buck. And, while those who love the novel and the film might observe some of the editorial shortcomings rendered in the adaptation process, they gain a lavish new score to embellish an old familiar friend. THE COLOR PURPLE, a helluva musical.