'The Color Purple
Photo by Paul Kolnik
By Don Shirley
A few sensational performances rescue Marsha Norman’s game attempt to corral Alice Walker’s sprawling feminist novel (and elements from the Steven Spielberg film) into a stage musical. Jeanette Bayardelle is spine-tingling as she transforms from the “ugly” and abused Celie into an Oprah-worthy role model, singing up a storm and using her flattest facial expressions to achieve powerful effects. She’s well supported by such bigger names as Michelle Williams as the glamorous Shug, LaToya London as the beautiful Nettie, and the Broadway cast’s Felicia P. Fields as the spirited Sofia. Donald Byrd’s choreography – set to the score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray – helps enliven Gary Griffin’s staging, but the story’s parade of purple passions over four decades is awfully unwieldy, especially in a generic second-act respite in an imagined Africa.
–Don Shirley
Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N Grand Ave., downtown L.A., (213) 628-2772. Centertheatregroup.org. Regular schedule Tues.-Fris. at 8 p.m.; Sats. at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Suns. at 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Closes March 9.
Published: 12/20/2007
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT
