‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Cynthia Erivo & Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Matthew Murphy

THE COLOR PURPLE
Based upon the novel by Alice Walker
Book by Marsha Norman
Music & lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis & Stephen Bray
Directed by John Doyle
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
245 W. 45th St.
(212-239-6200), http://colorpurple.com/

By Scott Harrah

Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel The Color Purple was a tricky classic to adapt for the screen and stage. Steven Spielberg did a superb job making the story into a film, but the Broadway musical adaptation a decade ago, despite 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006 (including a win for LaChanze for Best Actress in a Musical as Celie), was considered too lavish and overdone by some critics. So it is truly amazing what British director John Doyle—who brought us all those gimmicky Stephen Sondheim revivals of Company and Sweeney Todd, featuring actors doubling as musicians, playing instruments—has accomplished. This revival, which originated at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, is a total reinvention of the musical, with no real sets other than a wooden backdrop with chairs. In addition, British actress Cynthia Erivo, as the lead character Celie, gives the most-talked-about performance of the 2015/2016 season, stealing the show in virtually every scene with her emotionally exhausting, virtuoso portrayal of the poor, awkward-looking, downtrodden young African-American girl in rural 1930s Georgia.

Mr. Doyle has taken a complicated saga (the novel was written in Southern black slang as letters to God) and Marsha Norman’s bloated Broadway book adaptation and pared everything down to its bare bones, and this simply works beautifully. Fortunately, Mr. Doyle has moved away from the days of making actors play instruments and here focuses on what he does best. He streamlines this blockbuster musical, snips away the fat, and keeps the emotional content intact.

One doesn’t need to be familiar with the book or movie to understand the basic plot, but in a nutshell, Marsha Norman’s original script skips over a lot of the story’s details. Celie is 14 when we first meet her, pregnant, and is soon forced to marry Mister (Isaiah Johnson), a man who beats her. He separates from her sister Nettie (Joaquina Kalukango). The Color Purple is a tale of black women overcoming domineering, abusive men and insurmountable odds despite race and gender, and Mr. Doyle’s utilitarian set and direction helps us focus on these incredible, inspiring characters. It’s impossible not to root for them.

Danielle Brooks (Taystee in “Orange is the New Black) is glorious as Sofia (the role played by Oprah Winfrey in the film), a sassy mama who takes no guff. She brings down the proverbial house when she belts out the women-fight-back anthem “Hell No!” in Act One. Fine performances are also given by Joaquina Kalukango as Nettie, Isaiah Johnson as Mister, Kyle Scatliffe as Harpo, Patrice Covington as Squeak, and Carrie Comprere, Bre Jackson and Rema Webb as local church ladies.

Oscar and Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, as the glamorous singer Shug Avery, is a bona fide Hollywood name helping this production sell tickets. Ms. Hudson will surely please fans with her trademark golden pipes in such rousing numbers as “Push Da Button” and the duet with Celie, “What About Love?” Unfortunately, she has a lackluster stage presence. The character of Shug Avery is supposed to be a bisexual powerhouse, ultimately becoming Celie’s partner, and she should command everyone’s attention whenever she’s onstage. Were it not for Ann Hould-Ward and Christopher Vegara’s gorgeous costumes, Ms. Hudson’s Shug Avery wouldn’t be noticeable at all. When Ms. Hudson delivers a line, she’s definitely good, but it seems she is giving the same performance she did as Effie in Dreamgirls. Ms. Hudson is a diva indeed, but she may disappoint anyone expecting more from such an accomplished star. However, the rest of the cast’s performances are so strong that it doesn’t matter.

Cynthia Erivo makes her Broadway debut here, but she’s already established over in the United Kingdom, where she toured in Sister Act (playing another role Whoopi Goldberg originated for a Hollywood hit). There is no question Cynthia Erivo is bound for stage superstardom on our shores, and the whole audience gets chills as she belts out her 11^th hour number “I’m Here” toward the end of Act Two. By spring’s awards season, Ms. Erivo, Mr. Doyle and this revival itself are going to clean up with this richly shaded, exquisitely acted Color Purple.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 16, 2015
Reviewed at performance on December 15, 2015

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Jennifer Hudson & Cynthia Erivo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Isaiah Johnson. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Jennifer Hudson & Cynthia Erivo. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson, Isaiah Johnson & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Danielle Brooks, Patrice Covington, Cynthia Erivo, Bre Jackson, Carrie Comprere & Rema Webb. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: (left to right) Antoine Smith, Patrice Covington, Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, Isaiah Johnson, Kyle Scatliffe & Danielle Brooks. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks & Kyle Scatliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks & Kyle Scatliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘THE COLOR PURPLE’: Danielle Brooks. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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INTIMATE MOMENT: Kelli O’Hara & Steven Pasquale. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY
Book by Marsha Norman
Music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Based on the novel by Robert James Walker
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
236 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.BridgesOfMadisonCountyMusical.com

By David NouNou

The score by Jason Robert Brown is lush; Kelli O’Hara is perfection and gives her best performance to date; and Steven Pasquale is a handsome leading man with an exquisite voice. The Bridges of Madison County, whether as a novel, a gloriously filmed movie, or now in its current incarnation as a musical, is essentially a delicate, two-character piece with some background people who happen to be Francesca’s (Ms. O’Hara’s) family, friends and neighbors. However, in Marsha Norman’s tedious and lackluster book, these extemporaneous people now seem more as annoying fillers and pad the show up to two hours and 45 minutes. Way too long for such an intimate musical.

Basically the plot is Francesca, an Italian war bride, came to America and settled down on an Iowa farm and has raised two teenage children. Married for over 18 years, she fulfills her obligations as a dutiful wife. On a particular weekend in 1965 when her family is off to the Indiana state fair, and Francesca stays behind, Robert Kincaid, (Mr. Pasquale) on an assignment to take pictures of the famed Madison County Bridges for National Geographic, gets lost and ends up in Francesca’s driveway for directions. What starts as an innocent flirtation ends in a life-altering love affair. It is Francesca’s dilemma to either follow her heart to live and love the man who brings her back to life, or stay behind to fulfill her obligations as a mother and wife.

Ms. O’Hara’s Francesca is incandescent and by far the best performance of her productive career. She makes Francesca a three-dimensional character with a heart, a soul, charisma, and a voice that is heavenly. Mr. Pasquale matches Ms. O’Hara’s splendid tonal quality, is certainly charming and plausible as to why Francesca would fall for him. He is a bit young for the part, and comes across more as a hunky gas-pump jockey, rather than as a grizzled photographer for National Geographic.

Now comes Ms. Norman’s book, a throwback to 50s and 60s musicals but without the fun, structure or characters. In the old days musicals were almost three hours long. With today’s short attention span, you don’t prolong a show with scenes full of fillers; certainly a good half hour could have easily been cut off this one. She derived a scene from Evita; just as Francesca and Robert are finding each other, she inserts Robert’s wife Miriam across the stage from them with the song “Another Life,” reminiscent of Che’s mistress singing “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.” The beginning of Act II and the finale are even more blatant. Act II starts with a hoedown “State Road 21/The Real World” as did Oklahoma in the song “The Farmer and The Cowman” but not as exhilarating; and the finale, “Always Better,”  is ripped out off Carousel’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

What is most perplexing here is the direction of Bartlett Sher. He is a great director; just to mention the revivals in this case (South Pacific, Golden Boy, Awake and Sing) and is a very keen editor. Had Madison County been a 50s or 60s revival, I can see where he would have kept it intact, but this is an original musical that lacked any originality and his editing skills were desperately needed. Mr. Sher is a clean director and always manages to trim the fat to make the show run as smoothly as possible. Wow, was this show full of gristle.

Scene changes as well are supposed to be as seamless and unobtrusive as possible. However, everything from the kitchen sink, to the dining table, and the bed are all rolled on and off stage by actors in the show and not at the most appropriate of times. Worst of all, every time you see the bridges, they are wheeled out as fences by the actors and positioned to represent these majestic bridges that thousands of visitors come to see annually. I don’t know who is to be blamed more: the scenic designer, Michael Yeargan, for not coming up with some exquisite idea and images of the bridges or Mr. Sher for okaying these cheesy sets that cheapen the show in the worst possible manner.

The show is far from perfect, but does have three important elements to be savored: the never-been-better Kelli O’Hara, an equally admirable Steven Pasquale, and a rhapsodic score by Jason Robert Brown.
The Bridges of Madison County – 4 Tony Nominations, including Best Musical Actress – Kelli O’Hara, BEST SCORE- ROBERT JASON BROWN, Best Lighting Design, BEST ORCHESTRATION – ROBERT JASON BROWN.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 28, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on February 27, 2014

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