Margo on A Color Purple

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 10:53am

Well, first off I just want to say that you'd have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to be able to tell that this is going to be a HUGE crowd-pleasing hit that'll likely run for a few years, at least. It's been a VERY long time since I've been in a theatre in which the audience had a comparable emotional response -- cheers, laughs and tears throughout (everyone around me -- male and female -- was weeping and passing tissues back and forth during the final scene). While the presence of Ms. Oprah Winfrey herself may have had a slight impact (she arrived shortly before the curtain), there was definite, noticeable electricity in the air even prior to her arrival (and it's doubtful that her attendance alone could have sustained the audience's full and declamatory engagement through the show's nearly three hour running time).

Ticket sales are already quite brisk (non-premium orchestra seats on the weekend are already scarce for the next several months). As a comparison, two years ago, I remember getting a discount flyer for WICKED and ordering a pair of tickets roughly a month before perfromances started for the first week of previews. I got two tix in the third row center of the orchestra (and the show was selling well even then -- 90+% attendance -- but not yet selling out). About a month ago, I went by the Broadway Theatre (also one of Broadway's larger houses) box office to get a single discount ticket for any date last week. I ended up with 3rd row ..... Mezz. A great seat, of course, (I'm not complaining) but I found it remarkable that there wasn't a single orchestra seat closer than row T available for the entire week.

Anyway, so how was the show Mrs. Lincoln? While there are flaws with the book, some weak points in the score, some missed opportunities musically and right now, a bit too much of everything (it runs roughly 2 hours 50 minutes), overall I enjoyed the show a great deal. It's greatest assets are a wide-ranging score that is a tuneful blend of blues, gospel, r&b ballads, traditional musical comedy character numbers, and African-themed rhythms, eye-popping set (John Lee Beatty) and costume designs (the lighting is fine, but I noticed a few missed cues and a lack of proper focus here and there that needs adjustment), explosive choreography from the legendary Donald Byrd, and most notably a large cast of supremely gifted actor/singer/dancers who display some of the most goosebump-inducing gospel/r&b singing to be heard on any stage. Add to all that a compelling, emotionally evocative narrative, well-known to most in attendance from the film and/or the novel and breathlessly paced staging from Gary Griffin and you have a quite entertaining show that frequently is on the vege of blowing the roof off of the theatre, but somehow never quite succeeding in doing so.

Part of the problem is in Marsha Norman's book, which at times is entirely too detailed and faithful to the novel (one example -- the yam story in Act II has to go -- it's included to help humanize Mister, but is unnecessary and bogs things down) and at others, employs too much shorthand and dashes off certain key plot points far too quickly (Papa taking Celie's second child; Nettie's banishment by Mister; several moments in the middle of Act II where the narrative goes flaccid and loses coherency and drive). While most in the audience know the story and can fill in the plot holes, newcomers to the material are bound to miss a few things and, nevertheless, bookwriters shouldn't rely on their audience to tell their story for them.

Also, Norman (and Griffin) needs to do a better job of delineating the passage of time more gradually and clearly -- Celie seems to go from being 16 to 60 or whatever in little more than a scene (LaChanze suddenly pulled out her old lady voice from DESSA ROSE and aged several decades within a sentence or two). There's also the problem of entirely too much exposition, which in some ways is unavoidable with this piece, given the Walker novel is told through Celie's letters to God, so her monologues are in some ways part of the fabric of the story.

I do, however, want to commend her and Griffith on their unflinching and unapologetic handling of the lesbian aspects of Shug and Celie's story. It was presented in such a simple, honest and matter of fact fashion that the audience seemed to accept and embrace it completely -- no tittering or cat calls as I have heard at some other shows in the past which featured same sex kissing and the scene (featuring one of the better duets in the show "What About Love?") received quite an ovation at its conclusion.

As far as the score, although there are several truly terrific numbers from r&b vet Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray in their various of genres and styles, there are also a couple of unnecessary balladsand a song or two that should be replaced with more distinctive material (Celie's lament for her soon-to-be-taken newborn child, "Somebody's Gonna Love You" is a moment that deserves something with a stronger lyric and melody, such as "Your Daddy's Son" from RAGTIME).

I was also surprised at some of the missed opportunities for musicalization in this production -- moments that scream out for a song: Shug's reunion with her father (THE HIGHLIGHT of the film version IMO), is not dramtaized at all and just briefly remarked upon after the fact; Miss Celie's Curse on Mister is done here almost entirely as a dramatic scene with the only music consisting of a single short (though impressive) vocal riff from Celie -- given the set up, the tension, the anger, the heightened emotions at that moment, I frankly expected a musical explosion on the order of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from DREAMGIRLS. ANY sort of raw, emotive, bluesy, torchy, accusational, confessional ballad right there, would have stopped the show cold. Instead, nothing. A major missed opportunity.

The orchestrations from Jonathan Tunick are up to his usual standard for the most part, although several of the numbers could definitely use clearer and more pronounced buttons to them. This is especially true for, no pun intended, "Push De Button" and a couple of the other blues numbers. Tunick is known for his brilliant work with the more sophisticated musical palate of Sondheim etc, but he needs to lose all of that taste and refinement for some of this stuff which is basically faux-mudbucket blues and gospel. The endings need sledgehammers, not subtlety. Yes, it's cheap, but it's what the material cries out for and what the audience expects.

I can't possibly praise the cast enough -- the talent pool runs very deep and wide here. LaChanze captures every aspect of Celie with warmth and heart and carries the weight of the show (physical and emoional) with little discernable effort -- she's a little powerhouse (I hope her voice can stand up to this demanding score). Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, whom according to her Playbill bio is apparently a singer making her acting debut (!), manages to pull off a feat that few veteran actors could -- she completely and totally embodies an iconic character like Shug Avery with all of the charisma and stage presence that that requires. Truly a remarkable singer as well as actress. Felicia Fields makes for a properly brassy, domineering Sofia. Kingsley Leggs has the right combination of menace and brashness as Mister and manages to fully humanize the character by the end. Renee Elise Goldsberry makes for an empathetic and radiant Nettie. Brandon Victor Dixon is both properly comedic and touching as Harpo, while Krisha Marcano is aptly cartoonish as Squeak. And I would be remiss if I didn't commend Kimberly Ann Harris, Maia Nkenge Wilson, and Virginia Ann Woodruff for their nattering, tattling scene-stealing church ladies.

THE COLOR PURPLE is a flawed, but highly entertaining, crowd-pleaser of a show that seemed to have the audience in the palm of its hand from the moment the curtain rose. Laughter, tears, gasps, applause and whoops of approval seemed almost Pavlovian conditioned throughout the evening. While it may not be a GREAT show at this point (and still may not be by opening), doesn't fully live up to the material's potential and isn't (or trying to) re-inventing the genre of musical theatre (and heck you could certainly lodge those same accusations at megahit WICKED), what is currently on stage at the Broadway has an energy and a certain felicitous, infectious joy about it that is difficult to resist. While its shortcomings are many and easy to spot, none are critical or lethal to the material's overall appeal with audiences. Critics be damned (though I think the reviews will be mixed-to-positive with the cast, designs, choreography and some of the score singled out for praise -- and some will certainly be remembered come award season), between the, I predict, ecstatic word-of-mouth and the imprimatur of Oprah Winfrey (the cast will be on the show Friday) this show will deservedly run for quite some time.




http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/the_color_purple.htm

Updated On: 11/7/05 at 10:53 AM

[Patronus]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:07am

Fantastic review as always Margo.

Of course, it creates even more difficulties for me with my show schedule in New York - but a wonderful review nonetheless.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:11am

Great review! I really want to see this.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:51am

Sounds like the cast knew full well that Oprah was in the house.

You obviously saw a much more energetic and focused performance than other posters on this site have described in detail. A vast difference of opinions on a show that I wouldn't think would generate it.

Let's hope they always think "Oprah's in the house" from here on out during the run!

EDIT: Margo--I'd be very curious to see if your opinion doesn't wane on a "non-Oprah" night. Are you planning on revisiting the show later on?

Updated On: 11/7/05 at 11:51 AM

[TheGirlontheSwing]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:25pm

Nice review- I attended the 2:00 show last sat and I was surprised to see an almost completly full house of energetic theatre goers. It was actaully one of the most energetic audiences I have ever been a part of- and i enjoyed the show much more than I was expecting too. The sets were absoultly gorgeus and the entire cast is amazing as well! My main critique was that I felt they could have done more with the musical score- there were some great songs such as "hell no", "what about love", the finale "the color purple" and my personal favorite number "push the button"- but being a sucker for huge bway scores like that of "ragtime" I felt they could have brought some of the music to the next level with some more powerful ballads- but of course thats just a matter of opinion. I did find it particularly amusing when they were folding clothes in act one and you could see the gap tags in all the clothing! Overall I thought it was a wonderful show and i would encourage everyone to go check it out!

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:34pm

Thanks!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:38pm

Margo: It's always great to read your comments, however, I do have qualms with you about one thing.

I am neither deaf, dumb, NOR blind. Neither are any of my couple dozen friends that also thought this show was in deep trouble. There's a way to review something without blatantly insulting all those who didn't like it as much that came before you. You didn't really care for SWEENEY, remember? I'm sure you'll come up with something and say that that's completely irrelevant to your point, but I still felt like you were taking a stab at those that didn't care for THE COLOR PURPLE.

I'm not really doubting that this could run for atleast a year - I just wouldn't count on it.

You really thought that this show was good? While beautiful to look at, the stakes are never high enough. I posted all that in my review, but I believe that with all my heart - the stakes are NEVER once high enough and the show suffers- despite the score and/or book.

I hope they get their act together.

[sciguy]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:46pm

well said Munk.
I too found Color Purple lacking in many areas. Margo points out many of the flaws in the review. The quotes "good not great" and "the parts don't add up to the whole" all seem fitting.
I'm glad Margo enjoyed the show. I did too, but it left me feeling empty, especially the ending. We had the tissues ready, but never needed them, as many of the character relationships remain underdeveloped. I'm sure this show will continue to generate much spirited discussion.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:46pm

I'm not sure if I'm returning, but frankly I don't know why I need to. The one and only thing that Oprah's presence could affect are the performances and talent is talent -- LaChanze and company would sing the roof off the building with or without Oprah being there. In all of the reviews I've seen so far, I've yet to see anyone complain about the quality of the singers.

This isn't a case like when Brantley showed up for the GYPSY revival a couple of seasons ago and Bernadette Peters by all accounts gave the performance of her lifetime in the role knowing he was in attendance, resulting in virtual love letter in his review of the show later that week. The two times I saw her, she was clearly pacing herself through the role to save her voice and gave a completely underwhelming performance -- but then my last name ain't Brantley.

The positive and negative aspects of COLOR PURPLE that I pointed out would have been the same whether Oprah, Bill Clinton or Christ himself had been in attendance. Oprah being there had nothing to do with the excellent choreography and design and the strong pacing of the staging (it's run by computer after all and computers are impervious to Oprah's charms, whatever they may be). The book still had issues, there were still missed musical opportunities and some songs that worked and others that didn't -- Oprah had nothing to do with that.

Perhaps Oprah being there hyped up the audience response, but then I wasn't reviewing that, I was reviewing what I saw on the stage. I'm rather impervious to audience enthusiasm by the way -- though I always note it in my reviews. They were screaming and cheering at MAMMIA MIA and I panned it anyway.

If I hear that they manage to make major improvements in the show -- some new songs and clean up the book -- I may return. Otherwise I stand by my review -- a flawed, but thoroughly entertaining show that will likely do well come awards time.

Updated On: 11/7/05 at 12:46 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:50pm

I'm not saying that Oprah's presence had anythign to do with ANYTHING...at all.

The whole show was just flat. Yes, they can all sing. Yes, they can (mostly) all act - that was never an issue.

In the scene where Celie is separated from Nettie. In the movie, I can't even watch the scene because it's so emotional. IN the play, it's a completely atrociously staged scene lacking any sort of emotion at all. If that scene fails, the rest of the show seems unimportant - and there's NO arguing about that.

We have very different views on this show, but I'm absolutely sticking by mine. I think this will get ripped a new a-hole by the critics...but I hope they get their act together and WAKE UP, or, hire a director that knows what he's doing.

[robbiej]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:51pm

'This production is too positively brilliant for anyone with any grasp of theatre to NOT like it.'

Munk,

This is what you said about SWEENEY TODD. I, personally, found that remark humorous...but I could see how others might be insulted.

Margo stated that you had to be blind, deaf and dumb not to see that this will be a crowd-pleasing hit. That doesn't mean it's necessarily good...just that it has something in it that will please a lot of people. Kind of like MAMA MIA does.

You and I have had our differences in the past, but I'll always say that you are a smart guy who obviously loves theatre and is passionate in your views. But you can't call someone else out on a perceived put-down when you did the same thing last week.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:53pm

While yes, that was bitchy, mine was blatantly aimed at one person and was snarky for a reason.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:57pm

Munk you didn't say Oprah may have effected it, Best 12 Bars did.

I also do not believe Margo was aimong that remark at people who did not care for the show, but intended it as a general comment on how the crowd seemed to react to the show.

I say, let the snarky comments roll, I love it when Munk posts them and when others do as well.

[Corine2]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 12:58pm

I agree with Margo.
I liked it more than anything this season.
I also adored In The Continnum.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 1:00pm

Corine, your posts remind me of Rosie O'Donnell's blog.

[robbiej]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 1:01pm

Oh...I love a snarky comment. Especially aimed at 442namffug! That's good fun!

I was just pointing out that some may take a comment that is intended for one person as a general comment, just as Munk took Margo's comment regarding audience reaction as an indictment of his taste.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 1:02pm

"I am neither deaf, dumb, NOR blind. Neither are any of my couple dozen friends that also thought this show was in deep trouble. There's a way to review something without blatantly insulting all those who didn't like it as much that came before you."

Not sure why you took that personally Munk. You (or anyone else) never for one second crossed my mind when I wrote it. That was a general statement of my assessment of the show's prospects, not a comment on any earlier criticisms of the show (which frankly I had skimmed, disregarded and mostly forgotten as I always do for shows that I have yet to see myself). It was obvious to me and everyone I spoke to that evening that this is going to be a massive hit and I stated so -- not sure why you took that to heart and found it offensive to you personally.

"You didn't really care for SWEENEY, remember?"

If you read my entire review you would recall that I found the concept gimmicky, but the cast brilliant and the material itself still shone through as a masterpiece. Doyle's distracting staging caused me to subtract one star from my assessment and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommended it everyone (check the review on my blog). I then returned shortly before opening and after that added another half star because Doyle had cleaned up some of the transitions I had complained about and had done a much better job of highlighting several key plot points that had been lost before. I'd hardly call 4 and a half stars out of 5 stars "not caring" for something -- I just prefer not to blindly rave about a show and am capable of pointing out flaws, putting them in context and still fairly evaluating the whole.

Updated On: 11/7/05 at 01:02 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 1:10pm

"This isn't a case like when Brantley showed up for the GYPSY revival a couple of seasons ago and Bernadette Peters by all accounts gave the performance of her lifetime in the role knowing he was in attendance, resulting in virtual love letter in his review of the show later that week."

Margo--The only way you would know this about Color Purple would be if you attended a different performance for a personal comparison... which is why I was asking. Also, if an "Oprah" is in attendance, it isn't just the performances that can be heightened and elevated to new levels, but also the stage manager's cues can come much more precisely on target, music tempos can "spark," sets can change faster, etc. I'm sure you yourself have seen this happen from one performance to the next on Broadway. I know I have.

I had the rare privilege of seeing La Chanze in the L.A. "Ragtime" on four separate occasions. She never gave the same performance twice. Not even close. I'm happy to say that over the course of several months, she improved greatly in the part and ultimately gained strength and found more nuances... and was better than Audra in the end. But the only way I know this personally is having witnessed these four performances myself.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 1:22pm

As I said, I may return after opening, just to see whatever changes that were made (if nothing else, they almost have to cut to get the running time more reasonable). Hopefully, I can get a decent ticket.

[best12bars]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 1:50pm

I don't blame you for a "judicious" decision to return, considering ticket prices and possible availability issues. There needs to be enough of a reason to return.

Besides, you now have the memory of a terrific (if flawed) performance to look back on.

[Avigdor]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 2:28pm

i'm still glad actors are working and audiences are enjoying the show..but i felt it lacked strong and committed performances and to a point of cheap when it came to the elements. i.e. lighting, set etc.
felt like a fractured story trying to recover. but again.only my opinion and everyone has their own taste. i mean come on everyone iknow hated sweeney and the critics seem to love it.
pharumph

[Esparzafan]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 3:21pm

I agree with Munk. I just didn't feel the show at all. I was there on Friday night when Oprah showed up and though I was in the 2nd row of the rear mezzanine, it feels like the audience Margo sat near and the folks I was surrounded by reacted differently. Very little emotion in my section and lots of antsy shifting around as the show passed the 2 hours and 40 minutes + mark. It wasn't an awful show, but it just felt lacking.

The show was pretty heavily papered on Friday night, obviously wanting Oprah to see a full house. The standing O at the end felt put on, as if to make Oprah happy. Just my opinion.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 3:26pm

Interesting that you say that the show was heavily papered when there were no single orchestra seats at the box office closer than Row T for that performance a month before and the show hasn't popped up on any of the papering services so far.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 3:38pm

Regardless of whether the show was papered or not, I still find your review of the show surprising.

Do you see what I'm talking about - even AT ALL - when I say that the stakes are NEVER as high as they need to be?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 3:48pm

Okay, a rather obvious question, what's The Color Purple mean? like the title?

Also, do you think a composer can just come up with a song within like a couple days to fill in for another one? like, is it that simple? It seems like it would take a while to sit down and make up a song and the melody and everything. Just wondering, cause everyone is talking about how they need to replace songs and stuff.