Sunday I saw the Color Purple live and in living color in Los Angeles. When those tickets went on sale I was on them suckers like hotcakes. I have been waiting to see this play for a long time, but going to New York was not in the budget, I just thank my lucky stars that it finally made it to the west coast. It goes without saying, but the place was packed, it was so many people in the theater we looked like sardines in a can. I was pleased to see so many parents brought their kids to the play. It brought back memories of when my auntie use to take me to the fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis to see plays like Dream Girls, The Wiz, and Raisin in the Sun. I love the theater and can not wait to drag my own kids to plays.
The play was fantastic and all the actors were great. Jeanette Bayardelle is the actress that played Celie did the damn thing. Her diction and pitch were perfect, she brought emotion and strength to the character. I must admit I shed a tear or two and was totally pulled into the life of Celie. Latoya London from American Idol played the role of Nettie, not only can this girl sing but she can act too! When it came to the part were Mister made Nettie leave the house, Latoya put so much feeling into that act, I started crying again. Did I mention that Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child played the infamous role of Shug Avery? I was hesitant to accept Michelle in this role, but she was very good and gave a great performance. Lesbianism played a huge part in this play. In the film it is slightly hinted that Shug and Celie had a “relationship”. Well in the play they become a couple……. can you believe that. After Celie leaves Mister and goes to Memphis with Shug and her husband, Shug’s husband leaves her for Squeaky (the girl that was dating Harpo, after Sophia left). Once Shug’s husband ran off… she and Celie became an official item.
The play also tackled domestic violence and reiterated over and over that women should not subject themselves to the abuse of a man. The mantra for domestic violence was “HELL NO”. There were many other highlights but I do not want to give the entire play away so I highly suggest you see it… when and if you can. Plus I hear that Chaka Khan is getting ready to play the role of Sophia… I would love to see her in that role. The play will be going nation wide tour soon so when you hear about it get your tickets and get ready for a great show. I give two thumbs up.
The play was fantastic and all the actors were great. Jeanette Bayardelle is the actress that played Celie did the damn thing. Her diction and pitch were perfect, she brought emotion and strength to the character. I must admit I shed a tear or two and was totally pulled into the life of Celie. Latoya London from American Idol played the role of Nettie, not only can this girl sing but she can act too! When it came to the part were Mister made Nettie leave the house, Latoya put so much feeling into that act, I started crying again. Did I mention that Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child played the infamous role of Shug Avery? I was hesitant to accept Michelle in this role, but she was very good and gave a great performance. Lesbianism played a huge part in this play. In the film it is slightly hinted that Shug and Celie had a “relationship”. Well in the play they become a couple……. can you believe that. After Celie leaves Mister and goes to Memphis with Shug and her husband, Shug’s husband leaves her for Squeaky (the girl that was dating Harpo, after Sophia left). Once Shug’s husband ran off… she and Celie became an official item.
The play also tackled domestic violence and reiterated over and over that women should not subject themselves to the abuse of a man. The mantra for domestic violence was “HELL NO”. There were many other highlights but I do not want to give the entire play away so I highly suggest you see it… when and if you can. Plus I hear that Chaka Khan is getting ready to play the role of Sophia… I would love to see her in that role. The play will be going nation wide tour soon so when you hear about it get your tickets and get ready for a great show. I give two thumbs up.
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