See it on Broadway through January 8th only. The Color Purple is the 2016 Tony Award winner for Best Musical Revival. Best Actress Tony Award winner CYNTHIA ERIVO ("an incandescent new star" says The New York Times) leads a powerhouse cast in this epic story of a young woman’s journey to love and joy in the American South. Joining her is Tony and Grammy-winning Broadway legend JENNIFER HOLLIDAY (Dreamgirls). Tony winner JOHN DOYLE directs.
Don't miss two of Broadway's most powerful performers together on one stage in this Tony-winning triumph that New York Magazine calls "one of the greatest revivals ever."
Experience the exhilarating power of this Tony-winning triumph that New York Magazine calls "one of the greatest revivals ever."
In the glorious Broadway revival of The Color Purple (* * * * out of four stars)...leading lady Cynthia Erivo -- remember the name, because you'll be hearing more of it -- speaks mostly in a low, wry voice. 'Speaks' would be the operative word here, because when Erivo raises that voice in song, it soars with a force that seems almost supernatural, but is also distinctly, piercingly human...In Purple, the director confronted a less cohesive score...with lyrics that, like Marsha Norman's book, can flirt with platitudes. Those words and music remain, but under Doyle's guidance...they seem reborn. Melodies float and swing in more R&B-savvy arrangements, providing showcases for the extravagantly gifted singer/actors featured here...The Color Purple is ultimately a story of redemption, and Doyle and his cast do a miraculous job of capturing that essence, down to its spiritual core, without getting preachy or mawkish.
Give thanks this morning, children of Broadway, and throw in a hearty hallelujah. 'The Color Purple' has been born again, and its conversion is a glory to behold...The current version is a slim, fleet-footed beauty, simply attired and beguilingly modest. Don't be deceived, though, by its air of humility. There's a deep wealth of power within its restraint...it allows audiences to zero in on a show's musical and emotional essence, while seeming to place narrative control directly in the hands of the performers...Ms. Hudson radiates a lush, supple stage presence that is echoed by her velvet voice...But the greatest joy of all, at least for longtime believers in theater mythology, is the ascendancy of Ms. Erivo...Celie undergoes a drastic metamorphosis from battered, invisible wife to determined, self-reliant businesswoman. Ms. Erivo escorts us through these transformations with a subtle but tensile performance that parallels her character's evolution. Like the rest of the show, she never oversells herself; she asks us politely but compellingly to listen...
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