When the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s book The Color Purple first opened on Broadway in 2005, reviews were decidedly mixed. The show was considered too big and too long. Leave it to director John Doyle (Sweeney Todd and Company revivals) to whittle down the original material into a much more favorably received musical. The revival began its life nearly 10 years to the date of the original’s opening. The touring production of The Color Purple, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, opens this week at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through June 17th. Two days later the production will open at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts where it will run from June 19-June 24th.
Whether you have read the book, seen the movie or have done neither, what Doyle has done is put the focus of this story where it belongs: on Celie (Adrianna Hicks) as she finds the strength to be the woman she deserves to be and not just the possession of a brutal husband, Mister (Gavin Gregory.) The show is set in Georgia in the early to mid-20th century Marsha Norman wrote the book, Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray wrote the music and lyrics. This production began its life at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London before moving to New York.
In the #MeToo era, this musical will probably resonate even more strongly than the revival did when it opened in 2015.