The Color Purple
Reviewed by Dana Martin
Greenway Arts Alliance at Greenway Court Theatre
Extended through December 30
RECOMMENDED
The Color Purple, a musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s 1983 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, is making joyful noise at The Greenway Court Theatre. With a book by Marsha Norman and a score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, The Color Purple proves that love finds a way and it’s too beautiful for words.
Celie (Gabrielle Jackson), a young black woman in the rural South, is only 14 years old when she gives birth in church. It’s her second, a boy this time, sired by her own father (Otis Easter). Shortly thereafter, Celie’s forced into an abusive marriage with the philandering Mister (Aaron Braxton). Celie’s younger sister Nettie (Elizabeth Adabale) comes to live with them but is thrown out after Mister tries to rape her. Mister’s son Harpo (Jeremy Whatley) marries the formidable Sofia (Dominique Kent). When Harpo beats Sofia, she responds by leaving him, but not before imploring Celie to leave her abusive husband. Sensuous and soulful jazz singer Shug Avery (April Nixon) arrives on the scene, drawing everyone’s affections, including Celie. The two form a romantic relationship. Shug delivers Celie a familiar message: leave. And Celie does leave Mister, just after she curses him. She finds her voice and goes her own way.
Gabrielle Jackson shines as Celie. She’s immediately lovable and radiates warmth. She handles the enormity of the role with ease and grace and brings down the house in her final declaration “I’m Here.” Aaron Braxton finds a decent arc as antagonist Mister as he moves from abusive to remorseful. Dominique Kent, a one-woman powerhouse as Sofia, refuses to be defeated. Her grand and haughty “Hell No” is one of the musical’s many highlights. April Nixon’s Shug Avery is a seductive heartbreaker. Church ladies Lynette DuPree, Carol Dennis, Mariah Strickland and Jacquelin Schofield are sass and soul in equal measure and support the show’s overall powerful sound, finding tight harmonies. Rachel Sarah Mount delights as Squeak.
What the script loses in terms of the novel’s richness and poetry is found in the musical’s soulful score, which features many styles of music, including R&B, honky tonk, gospel and jazz. Musical director/conductor Patrick Gandy has worked wonders with an already outstanding ensemble of singers. The music is energetic and precise. Director/choreographer Jeffery Polk organizes the staging well, keeps the pace tight and creates lively choreography. Sound designer Julie Ferrin slightly misses the mark as the band sometimes overpowers the singers. Dana Rebecca Woods’ costume design is detailed and attractive.
The Color Purple preaches courage, love, redemption. The female characters radically challenge societal norms. They demand respect and help each other stand up to violence, racism, poverty and oppression. The message is enduring and immediately clear. Greenway Arts Alliance is presenting The Color Purple to over 600 high school students throughout the coming month as part of a larger literary program that explores Ms. Walker’s novel.
Look what God has done.
Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., except Dec. 14-15 & 22; Sun., 4 p.m., except Dec. 16; extended through Dec. 30. (323) 673-0544 or GreenwayCourtTheatre.org. Running time: three hours with one intermission.
