'The Color Purple' Doesn't Rain, but Pours Love & Hope!

Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple is the textbook from which to be taught from.  With Gary Griffin's tight direction and no throw-away scenes, this tear-jerker makes Les Miserables seem like the French were just having a bad couple years.  As the show enters is final month at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, the cast is as in-sync as a cast can be.

The glue that holds the cast so strong is Jeannette Bayardelle's standout portrayal of Celie.  If a Jeff Award doesn't befall this performance, there is no justice.  Every time she is on stage, eyes are transfixed on Bayardelle. And when she opens her mouth and begins to sing, a silence comes over the audience so that every glorious note can be cherished.   Her performance is so in the moment that you want to rush on to the stage and wrap your arms around her to tell her everything will be okay.

Showing Celie that love can come in unexpected packages, Michelle Williams' Shug Avery is sexy, saultry  and nobody's fool. She becomes not only Celie's soul mate, she becomes her mentor as well.  The chemistry between Bayardelle and Williams is contagious and outrageous.  A whole other book could be written between these two characters.

Then there is Sofia.  In the body Chicago's Felicia P. Field's, who is a Tony Nominee for this role, Sofia will make damn sure she is treated with respect.  If not, well, hell hath no fury!  She is woman's suffrage, civil rights and woman's liberation movement all wrapped up in one superb woman. To have Alice Walker's words lifted off the page and spoken by Ms. Winfrey in the film and Ms. Field on stage, the character of Sofia is role model for every generation.

Rufus Bonds, Jr. and Stu James, as Mister and Harpo respectively are also superbly cast.  Again, Ms. Walker's work is groundbreaking as the son ends up teaching the father life lessons and the roles of parent and child become reversed in the final scenes.

Make and effort to catch The Color Purple with this cast if you haven't done so.  The show has enjoyed a successful run since mid April but must move on to share its love with other cities.  Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple closes September 30, 2007.  For tickets and more information visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com

Photos by Paul Kolnik: (top) Felicia P. Fields as Sofia and Stephanie St. James as Squeak, with Michelle Williams (background) as Shug Avery; (bottom) Michelle Williams, Jeannette Bayardelle as Celie and the company