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Some people think of musicals as an unrealistic view of the world. After all, how often do people burst into song in everyday life?
But The Color Purple, derived from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in Georgia in the early years of the 20th century, is stuffed full of music (composed by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray) that seems to emanate from the characters and their stories in such a natural way that you’re never reminded you’re watching a theatrical convention. The Broadway hit just recently closed, and the touring production currently at the Aronoff Center demonstrates why the show has achieved such popular success.
In fact, this touring production succeeds for reasons different than what made the show a Broadway hit, where the central role of Celie (it’s the role Whoopi Goldberg played in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 movie) was a star vehicle for Tony Award winner LaChanze (who originated the role) and American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino.
Of course, The Color Purple is Celie
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2008.
