Review: Led By Powerhouse Female Performances, THE COLOR PURPLE Delivers Timeless and Timely Story

Thirty-four years after Alice Walker's The Color Purple won The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the national tour of the Tony Award®-winning Broadway revival of the same name delivers a timely story of self-discovery and forgiveness.

THE COLOR PURPLE follows the story of Celie, a poor, uneducated, Southern black woman, who triumphs through hardships and abuse to find love, God, and ultimately herself.

Five members of the original Broadway cast lead the national tour, including Adrianna Hicks (Celie), Carla R. Stewart (Shug Avery), and Carrie Compere, who reprises her role of Sofia.

Compere commands the stage with her unapologetic portrayal of Sofia and brings down the house with her rendition of Hell No! and rollicking romp through Any Little Thing with fellow Color Purple Broadway Alum J. Daughtry (Harpo).

Hicks masterfully transitions between song and spoken word to build her character up from the abused to the triumphant. She affirms her vocal prowess in Act Two as Celie literally and figuratively finds her voice in the show stopper I'm Here.

Carla R. Stewart's deliberate and controlled delivery of Too Beautiful for Words and the title song, The Color Purple, gives Stewart's otherwise bawdy and brash portrayal of Shug depth and paves the way for Celie's journey to empowerment.

Director John Doyle's minimalist staging and scenic design elevates the performances and Walker's story, which seems more relevant than ever against the backdrop of the Me Too Movement.

THE COLOR PURPLE plays at the Durham Performing Arts Center April 3-8. Tickets start at $35.

For more information visit:

https://www.dpacnc.com/events/detail/the-color-purple or

https://colorpurple.com/

Photo Credit: Adrianna Hicks (Celie) in the North American tour of THE COLOR PURPLE. Photo by Matthew Murphy, 2017.

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