A moving and emotional piece, anchored by its gospel-infused score
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There is a contemporary relevance and urgency to The Color Purple which makes the musical a fine choice for the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Curve Theatre‘s first co-production. Based on Alice Walker’s epistolary novel of the same name, later adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg,The Color Purple follows an impoverished Black girl in the American Deep South as she seeks to discover her own agency and sense of purpose.
The source material has been canonised for centering the plight of the Black woman in American society. Yet, the traumas of central protagonist Celie – constant degradation, rape, and domestic abuse – are not treated with the necessary frankness in this musical adaptation. The fault for this lies in Marsha Norman’s book as well as aspects of Tinuke Craig’s otherwise sensitive but in this case brisk direction. Central antagonist Mister (played ably by Ako Mitchell) feels underwritten as a consequence.
Alex Lowde‘s set design – towering wooden walls with sliding panels – keeps things fairly stripped back. It does not quite have the rawness of John Doyle’s production at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2013, later staged on Broadway to critical acclaim, but helps guide the narrative nonetheless. John Pharo‘s naturalistic projections capture the spiritual themes within the show and signal the passage of time.
It is the score – with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray – which carries the emotional weight of the piece. Spanning jazz, blues, and flat-footed gospel, the music provides ineffable joy, rollicking entertainment (particularly in Shug Avery’s barn-raising ‘Push Da Button’), and compensates for some of the narrative shortcomings with its soaring ballads. Across the 17-strong cast are a range of beautiful and raw voices.
Ultimately, one cannot help but root for Celie, whose emotional arc culminates in the anthemic ‘I’m Here’. T’Shan Williams, singing with impressive range and expression, delivers a well-paced performance, developing her character from a naive, repressed young girl to a woman confident in her own beauty and self-worth. Even if the explicit queerness of the novel is not fully realised here, Williams has great chemistry with standout actor Joanna Francis, who plays the sexually liberated and wayward cabaret performer Shug Avery. Their performance of ‘What About Love’ at the close of the first act, wherein they both seek love and fulfillment in the other, is captivating.
The supporting cast are also impressive, from Simon-Anthony Rhoden‘s well-meaning but clumsy Harpo and Danielle Fiamanya‘s endearing portrayal of Celie’s educated and ambitious sister Nettie. Harpo’s wife Sofia is one of the most satisfying characters in her fearless rejection of patriarchal violence. ‘Hell no,‘ she tuts feistily on her big number, delivered with impeccable comic timing by Karen Mavundukure.
However imperfect as a piece of narrative, The Color Purple touches and moves. When Celie announces ‘I’m beautiful / And I’m here,‘ the audience cannot help but erupt in applause.
(Photography by Pamela Raith)
