Tuesday, Feb. 09, 2010

'The Color Purple': One-woman powerhouse steals the show at the Fox

Powerful vocals and passionate performances lift "The Color Purple" in its incarnation as a stage musical.

With its inspirational theme emphasizing the healing power of love and hope, this second national tour, now running at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis through Feb. 7, retains the power of the original work.

But this being a 2005 musical adapted from both Alice Walker's Pulitzer-Prize 1982 book and the highly praised and glossier Steven Spielberg 1985 movie, playwright Marsha Norman starts with a template that figures the audience is already familiar with the story.

The stage version pares a downtrodden woman's social and sexual awakening to basically talking points, outlining Celie's miserable early years as an incest victim and abused wife in a simple way.

What the narrative lacks must be filled in with the songs, and the score by first-timers Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray is merely adequate, Pop songwriters, they borrow heavily from R&B and sprinkle a few numbers with jazz and blues. Even though only a couple songs are truly memorable, it is the talent of the cast that makes a lasting impression in their delivery.

Stealing the show is Felicia P. Fields, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her sassy portrayal of Sofia, and has played the role for both national tours. She is a one-woman powerhouse, and commands the stage in her number "Hell No!" and the playful duet "Any Little Thing" with handsome Stu James as husband Harpo.

Fields, in the role producer Oprah Winfrey was Oscar-nominated for, believably transforms from willful to victim back to empowered woman, and nearly overshadows Celie.

Because Celie is embodied by the tiny young actress Kenita R. Miller, and her character is so meek and mild for much of the story, she is practically dwarfed on the gigantic Fox stage by the production. However, she comes alive when singing. Her version of "I'm Here" is as much a showstopper as Fantasia and previous Celies.

Playing Celie's beloved sister Nettie is American Idol finalist La Toya London, who has a sunny presence that matches her crystal-clear vocals. In Season 3, she was one of the "Three Divas," along with Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson.

Angela Robinson is potent as sexy nightclub singer Shug Avery, who becomes Celie's husband's mistress and later Celie's confidante and lover. She stands out in "Too Beautiful for Words," "Push Da Button" and the yearning duet with Celie, "What About Love?"

Comic relief comes in the form of three busybody church ladies -- Doris (Kimberly Ann Harris), Darlene (Virginia Ann Woodruff) and Jarene (Lynette DuPree) -- which audiences can identify from their own congregations.

The men have a harder time winning over the audience because of the nature of their roles. David Aron Damane is the domineering Pa and Rufus Bonds Jr. is overbearing wife-beater Mister. But Bonds' character ultimately changes and seeks redemption. The shirtless field hands grab attention with Mister in "Big Dog."

John Lee Beatty's scenic design takes us from rural Georgia's sharecropper shacks and cotton fields to church picnics and juke joints, with a pastel palette enhanced by Brian MacDevitt's lighting design. A vibrant detour to an African village where Nettie is a missionary, begins the second act.

The show encompasses several decades in America, and Paul Tazewell's colorful costumes reflect the different ages. A highlight is the jaunty "Miss Celie's Pants," with the female population embracing slacks, and Celie becoming a successful independent woman and seamstress entrepreneur because of it.

The beauty of a woman's journey into the light of self-awareness is the timeless appeal of "The Color Purple." As a Broadway musical, other works have conveyed the joyful noise with brisker energy ("Purlie") and the currents of social justice and racial equality more poignantly ("Ragtime"). Therefore, it's not quite the definitive theatrical statement people wanted it to be.

But its impact is undeniable when you look around at the audience and see the broad smiles of people who have triumphed over adversity in their own lives, and who can relate to this hopeful message told with much compassion.