Theater Review: The Color Purple National Tour

by John Garcia of John Garcia's The Column

Editor's note: This show was reviewed in Chicago, but will be the State Fair musical for Dallas in 2008.

The journey for The Color Purple started back in the fall of 2004 where it had its world premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. After much retooling, the musical finally opened on the great white way at the Broadway Theater in December 2005, where it is still playing today.

Come Tony Awards time, the epic tale of Celie set to music would rack up eleven nominations, but it would lose the award for Best Musical to Jersey Boys. In a strange coincidence, the motion picture which was directed by Steven Spielberg would rack up the same number (11) of nominations come Academy Awards time. However, it would go home empty handed, unlike the musical, which did win one award, Best Actress in a Musical for its star LaChanze.

Now The Color Purple is having its national tour kick off in Chicago, home of its most powerful producer, Oprah Winfrey. Previews ran through April 27th and had its opening night on May 3rd, 2007. Thus, I l flew to Chicago for my first trip ever to the windy city to review the opening weekend of its national tour.

I first saw The Color Purple during its Broadway preview run in November 2005, then just a month later would see it just a couple of weeks after it opened. Observing the changes and tweaks they made between the two were visible but not that drastic. Primarily, it was just blocking and staging. The major change was in Mister's solo in Act Two.

As it happens all the time, physically there are some changes in scenery from the Broadway production. There is no longer a turntable dead center that created scene transitions with quiet ease. The tour now has scenery gliding from the wings. Another deletion is the automobile that Shug receives in Act Two as a wedding present. It no longer rolls on stage like it does at the Broadway Theater. For the tour, it is now referred to off stage left from which we hear car noises. Finally, the huge tree that occupies stage right which the young sisters (Celie and Nettie) play on is gone for the road company. Now it is a small, fence-like set piece that is covered in purple flowers for Act Two.

Outside of those changes, the physical aspects of the show are still intact. There is Brian MacDevitt's lighting design of gorgeous hues of purples, blues, oranges, and other bright colors splattering the stage. John Lee Beatty's scenic design is a combination of miniscule set pieces and framework (houses, the dress shop, etc.) that work marvelously in taking the audience from scene to scene. Finally we still have Paul Tazewell's period costuming that is perfection. From the colorful hats to Shug's gold beaded gown, they all look smashing on stage.

Special kudos go to Musical Director Sheilah Walker. The music fills the mammoth Palace wonderfully. But what makes her musical direction stand out is how she allows the performers to vocally explore the score. She conducts the orchestra to follow the singer, never rushing or slowing down. Both voice and orchestra work like a well-oiled machine. A special touch in her musical direction is how she follows the vocalists to crescendo and sustain a belting note to the very end. The cut offs, underscore, and other musical elements are conducted with slick professionalism and finesse technique by Ms. Walker.

The entire cast is superb, from principals to the ensemble. Their energy needs to be boxed and sold to those productions that are in dire need of eye-blinding energy because this company has it in abundance. The commitment to their characters is immensely entertaining to watch. Even if some don't have lines, their reactions and concentration to the scene adds so much to the emotions of the piece.

From the Broadway cast, the producers brought two of the three original church ladies that provided some of the biggest laughs of the night. Virginia Ann Woodruff and Kimberly Ann Harris originated these women who serve as narrators, but with a snippy, gossipy tone that is downright hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed these two on Broadway, so it was a wonderful surprise to see them on the tour. Joining them is Lynette Dupree, who matches her two cast members perfectly. From their facial expressions to their soaring vocals, these three women give scene stealing performances.

On Broadway, I had the unique opportunity to see understudy Kentra Miller and original star LaChanze perform the role of "Celie", but now it was Jeannette Bayardelle's turn to tackle the role. She understudied and also performed the role on Broadway. Ms. Bayardelle has certain physical features that do resemble Whoopi Goldberg, which gives the role a more familiar connection between audience and character. Another standout is her approach to the comedy because she makes this "Celie" find much more laughs than the previous two actresses. Bayardelle achieves thunderous laughter with her attack on the comedy elements, but it is never over the top. It is done as an afterthought, by total accident. She incorporates subtle facial expressions with precise comedic timing, pace, and delivery that result in resounding laughter from the audience. Her dramatic work is organic, painfully honest, and riveting. She will break your heart with her emotional, multi-layered, textured performance.

And can the girl sing! A powerhouse voice that effortlessly fills the elephantine Palace Theater with a sublime soprano voice. Her 11:00 o'clock solo, "I'm Here," brings down the house. The emotion and belting voice combine a magical theatrical moment the audience will always remember. Ms. Bayardelle is superb.

Michelle Williams (from the world famous singing group, Destiny's Child) portrays "Shug", the blues chanteuse who steals every man and woman's heart she comes in contact with. Ms. Williams gives a youthful performance that seems to use an aura of innocent playfulness to create her characterization. That actually works. She steers from making Shug right off the bat a sensual hot momma, but instead a lonely woman who uses that sensuality as a mask to hide the pain and loneliness. Her chemistry with Bayardelle is faultless. One of my favorite songs in the score is the duet, "What About Love?" which both ladies sing with such passion and vocal strength that it will leave a lump in your throat. Williams does allow her sex kitten to purr, sway, and seduce with the erotic infused number, "Push Da Button". She is another standout within this glittery company.

American Idol finalist, Latoya London, gives a heart-tugging performance as "Nettie", Celie's sister who is forced to leave her. Ms. London's voice is a pristine, crystal clear soprano voice that brings magical beauty to her songs. Her chemistry with her co-star Bayardelle is both honest and touching, which at the end has the entire audience wiping away tears of joy.

Finally, we come to Felicia P. Fields, who originated the role of "Sofia" on Broadway and was rewarded with a Tony nomination. When I saw the production on Broadway during previews and after it opened, both times Ms. Fields portrayed the role. She stole the show those two times, as she once again does here in the national tour.

You would think that after doing this show from its very beginning, and then going on to doing eight shows a week on Broadway for over a year, she would be burned out and exhausted. Judging by Ms. Fields performance, that is so not the case here. In fact, she is even fresher and funnier that before.

This talented actress has found the solid foundation and arc within her characterization and is firmly secure within it. She has discovered new dramatic, powerful subtext in the darker second act of her character that is marvelous to watch unfold. She is a comedic force that leaves the audience rolling in the aisles. Her number, "Hell No," is a musical number that every actor dreams of having. It is a rip-roaring, defiant song that has the audience laughing, cheering, and screaming at the top of their lungs. There are very few performances that I have seen in my life in which a character's introduction song is met with cheers and applause between verses. Ms. Fields was magnificent on Broadway, and she is here as well in this national tour.

Within the large cast there are performances full of brilliance, energy, vitality, and naturalism, including: Rufus Bonds, Jr. as the Machiavellian "Mister", Stu James as Sofia's henpecked husband "Harpo", Stephanie St. James as "Squeak", Lesly Terrell Donald as "Ol' Mister", and Quentin Earl Darrington as "Pa".

Director Gary Griffin had the monumental task of bringing a much beloved film to new life on the stage, and he succeeds superbly here. He keeps the pace moving briskly and instills within his cast to provide performances that are rooted in organic truth. He did not take out his Broadway notes and keep the tour as is. Instead, I saw new changes in blocking, staging, and performance that actually improved on the original production.

In particular the ending. On Broadway, towards the final measures of the gospel-flavored number, "The Color Purple", two little girls do the hand clapping game that Celie and Nettie did as children. For the tour, it is the much older Celie and Nettie do the hand clap game center stage. The audience quietly gasped and you just felt the entire piece come back in full circle. It was that moment that was missing from the Broadway production. Here it is so deeply powerful that you are wiping away tears of joy during the final notes of the song. How rare to see that kind of reworking and retooling that actually surpasses the original.

The Color Purple is a musical that fills your heart with love, and with this finely talented company, they will take you on an emotional journey that you will treasure from its overture to the finale.

GRADE: A

The Color Purple National tour is currently playing at the Cadillac Palace Theater, 151 W. Randolph St, Chicago, IL.

Purchase tickets at Ticketmaster or by phone at 312-902-1400.