The Color Purple (The SOB Revisit)
The Color Purple (The SOB Revisit) - Broadway Theatre, New York, NY*** (out of ****)
When I revisited The Color Purple again last month, I found myself eventually enjoying the performance -- despite all of the pesky problems I recalled from when I first saw the musical shortly after it opened in December 2005 that were still readily apparent.
Don’t get me wrong, by the time the show soars (and it does so beautifully) to its tear-inducing, breathtaking climax, all those issues could be easily forgotten. Yet they are far from inconsequential problems all the same.
Despite those tribulations, it bears noting that the acting and singing are superb throughout. Even though you-know-who was not there the night I was, the cast is uniformly excellent, headed by understudy Saycon Sengbloh (Celie) and featuring such standouts at Elisabeth Withers as Shug Avery (yes! she’s still in the show), NaTasha Yvette Williams as the courageous larger than life Sophie who isn’t afraid to say no, and certainly Alton Fitzgerald White as Mister, the wicked scoundrel of a husband who finally gets his comeuppance near the end.
His unrelenting sheer brutality of Celie really hit me between the eyes throughout most of the first act, indeed much more so this time than my first viewing. I grasp that the tyranny Celie faces is pivotal to the entire narrative, but quite frankly, it’s extremely difficult to endure. However, so real is Celie’s suffering that the audience feels her anguish and pain; on this point, it actually serves to strengthen our empathy for her and our willingness to cheer when she vanquishes her nemesis.
But, oh, those pesky problems.
First remains the hyperkinetic supersonic speed in retelling major portions of Alice Walker’s groundbreaking novel. Certainly when an epic book is dramatized, it cannot drag on too long. Yet under Gary Griffin’s uneven direction of Marsha Norman’s libretto, context is often missing. To fully appreciate the gravity of some situations, a reading of the original source material or viewing of the film might prove beneficial to fill in the blanks.
If you’re not paying especially close attention, you may miss the subtle graying on the actors’ wigs from scene to scene meant to convey epoch lapses in time. Most jarring is the realization that little Harpo is suddenly all grown up; somehow – quite thankfully – he manages to turn into a primarily decent soul despite the despicable nature of his father. However, we miss the perspective of Celie’s guiding hand, which makes such maturity possible.
Second, while the score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray is truly memorable -- and I confess that it’s among a very limited number of cast albums from recent years that I’ve consistently listened to repeatedly -- it’s as if we’re getting mere snippets, or at best, edited versions of the top songs. Just as I start losing myself in a tune, it abruptly screeches to a halt, either to further speed the story along or enable deep passages of time to go by. The confounding effect has me pining for a cast album with fully realized extended versions of most songs.
Finally, as artistic and beautiful -- and yes, as moving -- as the sidebar journey to Africa is, the flow of the story is seriously impeded. Yes, it is a sight to behold, but since this is ostensibly Celie’s journey, it’s one scene that unnecessarily slows the momentum at a crucial moment when the tuner actually needs to chug along toward its second act climax.
Thankfully, midway through that act, there’s a noticeable shift in clarity and focus. Call it a harmonic convergence in which the direction, book and score all crystallize to become a powerful force that holds firm until the last note is sung.
It succeeds in building toward the triumphant “I’m Here,” which erases any lingering doubt that this is a good, worthy show. The song provides more than an ample crescendo to underscore just how far Celie’s journey has taken her -- without ever having traveled too far in real miles except via her soul. It’s at this moment when her self regard and esteem ultimately win the day – and the hearts of the audience. It’s also a testament to the enduring appeal of the material, almost in spite of itself. In Sengbloh’s heartfelt delivery of this song, I witnessed an understudy who made the most of her moment in the spotlight by indelibly searing her place in my heart.
Talk about great theatre. If only the rest of the show could match that last 45 minutes, it would be nothing short of a miraculous. But fortunately for the audience, just like Celie herself, the show’s indomitable spirit wins the day.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
Curse Of The Understudy - Part III (July 23, 2007)
Winter Blues For Color Purple (February 5, 2007)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)
Labels: Alice Walker, Broadway, Film, Musical, Saycon Sengbloh, The Color Purple, The SOB Revisit
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Saturday, August 11, 2007
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