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Sometimes you see a show and you don’t just see it, you feel it. The Color Purple is that show. The rawness, the connections of the cast, the beauty in the voices, I felt all of it last night. Director Tinuke Craig has directed a musical that I now consider a favourite.
I stood tall for the standing ovation and if there was another way to show how much I thought of the show, I would have done it.
The Color Purple is based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and adapted for the stage by Marsha Norman. The Color Purple tells the story of Celie (played by Me’sha Bryan) as she grows up in a world of abuse and oppression. We see her struggles, her vulnerability and eventually, her strength and courage.
Me’sha Bryan was astounding. Brilliant acting, superb vocals and you felt every word said or sang. The opening scene with Aaliyah Zhané playing Nettie took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. “Hey sister, what you going to do? Going down by the river, going to play with you”. The innocence and gentleness and huge smiles from them as they both sang, really taking on the characters and roles of young children, sisters.
Anelisa Lamola played the role of Sofia marvellously. Possibly my favourite performance of the evening but in a cast of 5 star performers, it is hard to single just one person out. I hope that every cast member is proud of themselves for their epic performances.
I’m not exaggerating that the cast is full of 5 star performers. They were all, each and every person phenomenal. This cast has been chosen incredibly carefully. The voices all work together. Every note, every sound. Kay Magson CDG deserves huge kudos for casting everyone so perfectly.
It is of no surprise that The Color Purple is the Winner of Best Regional Production (@whatsonstage awards). I think it deserves multiple awards and I am pretty positive that this year’s tour is going to bring great rewards for The Color Purple.
This Birmingham Hippodrome and Made at Curve production is a must see. With an impressive score played by a live band and sung by the most talented stage of singers, there’s inspiration from jazz, gospel and blues and I was totally in love with it. The choreography, stage design, sound and lighting were all on point.
You only have a couple of days left to see this show at Birmingham Hippodrome (finishes on Saturday 17th September 2022) before it sets off on its first ever UK tour.
“Push Da Button” and get yourself a ticket here: The Color Purple
Photography by Manuel Harlan.