Limping From Page to Stage

While Oprah Winfrey may be the national arbiter of taste, she must have been a little distracted when she decided to sink her money into Broadway's newest musical, The Color Purple.

Based on the book by Alice Walker-and clearly influenced at least partially by the Spielberg film-the new musical features co-producer Quincy Jones, songs by Grammy Award-winning composers and lyricists Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, and a book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman. If that were not enough, it stars LaChanze (Tony-nominated for Once on This Island) in a star-making turn as Celie. Unfortunately, the sum of this musical's parts is a lot less than it should be.

Perhaps the most jarring misstep is Norman's tone. It is clear from the first scene, when we meet the three Church Ladies, that this is not just a musical-it is a musical comedy. The three actresses, Kimberly Ann Harris, Virginia Ann Woodruff, and Maia Nkenge Wilson, are all talented musicians and comediennes, but as a plot device, they don't work.

Though they provide the show with much raucous laughter; therein lies the problem. Last time I checked, Walker's novel was not a comedy. While there may be a laugh or two to be found in the original source material, the structure of the musical lends itself to inappropriate audience reactions at some of the most inopportune moments. When Celie first finds love in the arms of a woman, the emphasis should not be on the physical comedy of the moment, but on the physical tenderness.

The amorphous and bumbling music does little to clarify the musical's message. The three composers have slapped together a pleasing African-American pastiche that never really gels into a cohesive whole. While a few songs stand out, like the titular "Color Purple" and the opening "Mysterious Ways," none is any more than over-synthesized, pop schmaltz.

The performers consistently transcend the mediocre material. LaChanze ensures that Celie is a truly sympathetic character, and one with a powerhouse voice. As Sophia, Felicia Fields is another scene-stealer. In the role Oprah originated in the movie, Fields brings a needed vibrancy to the show. She is also very funny and often leaves the audience in peals of laughter, though director Gary Griffin's choice to make her decidedly comedic does not always work. It is especially ineffective in the latter parts of the play, after her character has been beaten and placed in servitude. The humor destroys any emotional arc her character could have.

Brandon Victor Dixon and Elisabeth Withers-Mendes are other standouts. As Harpo, Dixon is a perfect scene mate for Fields's Sophia. Though their antics are sometimes directed over-the-top, as in their final duet "Any Little Thing", Dixon manages to squeeze some poignance out of the proceedings. Withers-Mendes finds layers in the difficult-and under-written-role of Shug Avery, the seductress who teaches Celie how to love, and her Act I showcase, "Push da Button," is appropriately engaging.

Though the show may lack the emotional depth of Walker's book, it's clear the road to Broadway was paved with the good intentions of all involved. At worst, the show is offensively jolly. At best, it's heartwarming-though never as gut-wrenching as it seems it should be.