It’s been a 2024 of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple for this blogger. Early in the year we had a screening of the Steven Spielberg film adaptation, in Rob’s Movie Emporium, as it is one of my newest and most devoted plus one’s favorite movies. Then in our pre-Oscars viewing my wife and I watched the new film version of The Color Purple the Musical directed by Blitz Bazawule. What I hadn’t seen until now, was a staged version of the musical The Color Purple with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to compare the stage musical to the 1985 film being in two different mediums and one being a dramatic film and the other a stage musical. It also wouldn’t be fair to compare the movie musical to a staged musical given the different mediums and considering that in film you can do things that a stage bound musical can’t. Except… when the stage version is better than the film, which is definitely the case here. The film wasn’t bad, but it felt like a bullet point approach to the story I knew, and while it had some great performances, it didn’t flow as well as it should have. I went into Theater Latté Da’s production expecting that same highlights approach to the story but was pleasantly surprised at how fluid this version of the musical is. A little googling revealed that the film version removed many songs, in some cases replacing them with new ones. It’s also true that there are differences between the original Broadway production from 2005 and the Broadway revival from 2015.
I don’t know what version of the Musical Theater Latté Da is staging, but I can’t really imagine a better version than the one I saw. For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows the character of Celie who as the play opens is giving birth to her father’s second child, both children are taken from her shortly after birth, and we are left to wonder whether her father killed them or gave them away. Celie’s one happiness in life is her bond with her sister Netty. When Mister comes to their father and asks for Netty’s hand in marriage he refuses but says he can have Celie. Mister, needing someone to cook, clean, and raise his children, reluctantly agrees. Before long Netty has come to see if she can live with them as their father has started trying to molest her, but she must fight off Mister’s advances as well. Rejected, Mister throws Netty out and tells Celie she will never see her again thus taking away her one peice of happiness in life. The years pass and we are introduced to Mister’s old flame Shug Avery, a singer, who will introduce Celie to the concept of romantic love. We also get to know Mister’s son Harpo and his wife Sofia. Mister is cruel and tries to rule everyone through his tyranny. Harpo’s wife Sofia is the only one who doesn’t bend for or put up with his violence. All of these characters have their moments, but it is Celie’s story and she is at the very heart of everything.
Celie is played by Nubia Monks in a powerhouse performance which after the song “I’m Here” earned a standing ovation well before the play had even ended. Her voice was incredible and the heart and feeling she puts into that number in particular is a showstopper. Through much of the show Celie is submissive and passive, but Monks performance invites us to feel at first her isolation and then her growing sense of self. David Murray Jr. as Mister shows us a twisted man but also allows us to if not forgive at least believe his characters final arc towards repentance. Carnetha Anthony is a great fit as Sofia, it’s a role that has led both actresses who played the role on film to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Anthony, like her predecessors, plays the wrong with attitude and empowerment that makes her an audience favorite. Ronnie Allen plays her husband Harpo who learns to change the pattern of behavior that has been passed down by the men in his family. Angela Wildflower brings a confidence and sultriness to the role of Shug Avery the woman who awakens love in Celie and helps her find the herself and the the fate of her sister. The show is filled with great vocal and acting performances from the supporting cast and ensemble players.
Director Daniel J. Bryant stages the action simply not relying on an elaborate set design to create the world of Alice Walker’s story but relying on the performances of his actors to draw us in. It can be a risky choice but Bryant knows that this story and his cast don’t need the flash of overproduction to draw us in. That’s not to say that the set design by Eli Sherlock is lacking, quite the opposite. Knowing how to support a show through more subtle ways requires as much creativity as designing huge sets that move in and out and transform. Sherlock provides everything that is essential to the story, and everything on stage has a purpose. The stage is set against a backdrop of wooden panels evoking the idea of old wooden fences and houses. When the panels slide aside at the opening of Act II adding an element of depth and space, we see a representation of an African Acacia Tree made out of the same wood. Against this larger view we see Africa and Netty’s story play out as Celie reads the letters Mister had kept hidden from her for years. It’s a moment that adds a sense of epicness to the story, showcasing the costumes designs of Jarrod Barnes that adds a burst of vibrant color and energy to this moment in which Celie’s heart is bursting with joy, finally know what has happened to her sister.
The Color Purple runs through May 5th at Theater Latté Da in Northeast Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.latteda.org/the-color-purple
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