Over the weekend I got the chance to see the stage version of "The Color Purple" and it was fantastic. The show is based on the classic movie and stars Fantasia as Celie.
Since the original is not a musical and deals with some very serious subject matter, I was very curious about how the show would tackle some of the film's heavier scenes.
The number one difference between the musical and the film was in the level of comedy the stage show provided.
"The Color Purple" isn't known as a super funny movie so the little moments of comedy that the show delivered was a nice surprise.
Perhaps the most amazing part of the show was the cast. Felicia P. Fields reprised her Broadway role of Sofia, a part Oprah made famous, and Stu James portrayed Harpo, Sofia's husband.
The highlights of the show had to be Fields singing "Hell No" and Fantasia's standout performance of "I'm Here." Everyone knows Fantasia is a fantastic singer, but hearing her live is just spectacular.
Fantasia was also a surprisingly good actress. There was no question as to how her vocals would be but, her acting skills were very impressive.
"The Color Purple" has always been the kind of movie that inspires audience participation and the show was no different. It was common to here the crowd yelling out their reaction to the outrageous circumstances that the characters found themselves in.
There were several moments where direct lines from the film were used in pivotal scenes but at the same time the musical established a voice separate from the movie.
It was such a well put together, fantastically performed show, that anyone who is a fan of the film should definitely go see it.
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