Review: ‘The Color Purple’ celebrates the liberated woman.

The Color Purple, the Musical is an adaptation of the 1983 novel of the same name written by Alice Walker. It won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. The Color Purple was made into a film directed by Steven Spielberg in 1985. The musical opened on Broadway in 2005 for the first time and ran through February 2008. Featuring the book by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics written by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray this 2015 Broadway revival directed by John Doyle received a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

The second Tony award the show received went to the star of the show, British actress Cynthia Erivo, for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. And I must admit, even though musicals are not my favorite form of theater and I rarely get them, this one got me, largely because of Erivo’s colossal performance.

photo by Matthew Murphy

The transformation from 14 year-old Celie, pregnant with the second child from her father to an empowered and wise woman, is incredible to witness. Celie has a massive arc of character; her story has a separation from beloved sister, abusive marriage to Mister, love affair with the female jazz singer named Shug Avery, their life in Memphis and opening her own business. It’s a blessing and a curse for an actor. On the one hand this narrative gives you a wide range of emotions to work within, on the other it can easily become a soap opera like.

But Cynthia Erivo owns the part, she lives and breathes Celie, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with her as the entire audience of more then a thousand people, filling the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, does. They laugh and sigh in unison, with the corner of my eye I see people brush away tears and I see hands waving in the air like at a rock concert. When Erivo is leaving her despotic husband and yells in rage: “I may be poor, I may be black but I’m here!” and throws her apron on the ground, a thousand people scream as if it was their own victory.

The joy and energy of “Miss Celie’s Pants” number is contagious, Erivo leads a choir of ladies hopping on and off the chairs in a rousing number celebrating female entrepreneurs. By the end of it the audience claps so long and hard that Erivo has to step out of the shoes of her heroine and put on a conductor’s hat. With a single sign of her hand she makes the raucous ocean of applause quiet, sings one line and the audience bursts into laughter.

Erivo final solo “I’m Here” is performed on a bare stage with just the singer holding the attention. One can almost feel the vibration of the sound waves, as her voice is that strong. The powerful message of the song delivered by this wild voice lands directly in your heart. Sobbing and smiling, people hop on their feet and give Cynthia Erivo a long, substantive ovation.

photo by Matthew Murphy

The other members of the cast form a magnificent ensemble making no number insignificant. The Color Purple features a variety of female characters that influenced Celie. There is her sister Nettie, a gentle soul (Adrianna Hicks substituting for Joaquina Kalukango), tough Sofia (Danielle Brooks) with a catch phrase and musical number “Hell No!”, seductive but a bit worn out Shug (Heather Headley) and a simple-minded Squeak (usually Patrice Covington but Phoenix Best in the performance that I attended). Male characters sparse in quantity and “quality”, lead by sadistic Mister (Isaiah Johnson) and his humble but goodhearted son Harpo (Kyle Scatliffe).

This opposition of “bad” men and victimized women makes the story a bit one-sided. But it’s a piece of a commercial musical theater on Broadway so a head-on approach is unfortunately expected. However, the empowering effect of it is undeniable, I even saw somebody’s comment on Instagram: “this musical has a healing power”. Three main components of its success are: 1) the cast, 2) score of jazz, regtime, gospel and blues and 3) John Doyle, the director and set designer of The Color Purple.                                     

The story is set in the beginning of the 20^th century in the rural South but you won’t see any sign of the pretentious realism in this production. John Doyle gets rid of the scenery and furniture, putting actors on a bare stage. He uses a series of objects as elements of set design and props: hats, large pieces of fabric, baskets but most of all chairs. Old wooden chairs of different designs are hanging on the back wall made of wooden planks, filing three segments from top to bottom. Actors sit on chairs, stand on chairs, use them as weapons and tools. Doyle gets very inventive and consistent in the use of chairs to the extent where this piece of furniture becomes a continuation of an actor’s body.

The minimalism allows for the seamless transitions between the scenes, draws the attention to the actors and puts the story out of the historical context, hinting at the timelessness of these topics. It also accumulates symbolism around chair, like home and support, which is spelled out in the final solo “I’m Here”. Cynthia Erivo sings: “I got my house, it still keeps the cold out, I got my chair when my body can’t hold out” and lightly touches one of the chairs on the back wall. The anonymous chairs on the wall instantly become a representation of other women’s houses and lives.    

The Color Purple runs in Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre at 242 W 45^th Street through December 18^th. Tickets start from $59, go to http://colorpurple.com/tickets for purchase and more information.  

Review: ‘The Healing’ by Theater Breaking Through Barriers.

Cleaning out the house after the funeral of Zoe (Pamela Sabaugh) becomes a reunion of four of her former summer camp mates. The occasion is depressing as well as their memories of the Christian Science camp the leader of which, Joan (Lynne Lipton), preached that prayer could cure a disability. This was of little help to Sharon (Shannon DeVido), Donald (David Harell), Bonnie (Jamie Petrone) and Laura (Mary Theresa Archbold) the disabled kids from back then, who eventually shut down the camp for good. “If it was so bad, why did you keep coming back year after year”, – at some point asks Greg, Bonnie’s boyfriend. The gang doesn’t know what to say. But we know that it is the support of one another that made summer camp with a highly questionable agenda a place where friendships for life were made.

photo by Carol Rosegg

The Healing written by Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter is a cleverly written piece that deals openly and honestly with the “uncomfortable” topic of disability. Six of seven characters have some kind of disability with the exception of Joan, the former camp counselor. But even with the predominance of disabled characters the play doesn’t get stuck on this fact.  Cutting out pity and unnecessary sentiments, it tells the story of seven people dealing with limitations of faith, pride and principles.

Even when Hunter talks about physical limitations he does it with a lot of healthy humor. When Bonnie (lively portrayed by Jamie Petrone) tells about the first date with her deaf boyfriend Greg (devotedly played by John McGinty) the audience can’t stop laughing. Here is how the story goes. Bonnie was set up by her coworker, who naively decided that the wheel chair bound Bonnie and deaf Greg, by default, have much in common. Bonnie sabotaged her date by choosing a cheesy restaurant and an unflattering outfit. But when she actually met a handsome and nice guy she got so nervous that she had two martinis in 20 minutes. “I’m sorry, I got a little drunk because you being deaf makes me nervous”, - she said to him and asked for some time to sober up in silence. 

Those side stories make the characters so real and lovable allowing an instant connection to them. The cast of talented actors directed by Stella Powell-Jones has an incredible chemistry. Every one of them deserves praise but I especially want to pay tribute to Shannon DeVido, playing skeptical sharp-tongued Sharon, for her talented delivery of the funniest and the saddest moments in a very contained yet powerful performance. Her background in comedy enriches her dramatic talent greatly.

DeVido, being a petite lady, manages to portray a character of a large and strong personality. Confident and cynical, successful professional, she is only vulnerable when alone with her memories of Zoe. Pamela Sabaugh is very convincing as a woman fading out while suffering from severe depression. Zoe surrounds herself with chachkies she buys from infomercials. The set design by Jason Simms features a cramped living room where every surface is crammed with collections of figurines and walls are chaotically decorated with pictures and baskets. This abundance gives the actors an opportunity to move around a lot while packing the house. Zoey’s messy but cozy living room falls apart right in front of our eyes.      

    

A large part of the sound design by Brandon Wolcott consists of the infomercials convincing that some keepsake for only 19.99 would be a great heirloom that will outlive you. At times the sound fades away, but it seems like the TV is always on. Nobody turns it off in fear of being left alone with his or her deepest concerns. Zoe’s suicide makes everybody in the room vulnerable in the face of their own depressions, panic attacks and insecurity.         

John McGinty playing Greg, the outsider of the group who didn’t share the summer camp experience with the rest of them, is put in the position of listener, which makes him a representative of the audience on stage. It is no coincidence that the audience is forced to identify with the only deaf character. Greg reads lips, he has his girlfriend Bonnie to help him out with translating to and from ASL, he is eager to hear the next person out, and yet miscommunication is inevitable. Like when Laura dims the light in the room because she has migraine and starts telling Greg the story of her life. I felt a lot like Greg myself. Even though I can hear what Laura is saying, I can never fully understand what is like to grow up in the orphanage for disabled kids in Latvia.

photo by Carol Rosegg

The Healing is a very smart and subtle piece of theater. It grabs you quickly with its tasty cynical humor and holds you tight by the talented actors. This “living room drama” has an unconventional cast of actors whose disabilities are not always visible, which underhandedly raises a question of the representation of disability in arts and mass culture. But regardless of your interest in this topic I highly recommend seeing The Healing, as it is a remarkable show.                              

The Healing is produced by Theater Breaking Through Barriers and runs through July 16^th at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). Performances are Tuesday - Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday - Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $55, available at 212-239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com. For additional information, visit www.tbtb.org.

Long Day’s Journey into Night: the brightest picture of the darkest moment in one family’s life.

I don’t know where to begin my praise of Roundabout’s Long Day’s Journey into Night. The quality of production is exquisite, the play by Eugene O’Neil is a masterpiece, and the performances are at the top of the theater Olympus. It was nominated for 7 Tony awards this year and even though it only won two, Long Day’s Journey into Night is a central gem in the crown of the Roundabout’s anniversary 50^th season and arguably the best play currently running on Broadway.

Long Day’s Journey into Night is a semi-biographical play by American classic Eugene O’Neil written in 1941-42, first published and performed in 1956. It tells the story of the Tyrone family and takes place on a single day in August 1912. A 3 hour 45 minute play drags us through numerous miseries of one family.

Photo by Joan Marcus

James Tyrone, the patriarch, is an aging actor who killed his dramatic talent and professional opportunities by performing a romantic character in a “vehicle” play. This part brought him money but because of his miserliness, his family is unable to enjoy a comfortable life. The well fitted but stained suit designed by Jane Greenwood says it all: the man is a penny pincher. Gabriel Byrne, nominated for Tony Award as the best lead actor for this part, plays on a quieter side, the expression of tiredness never leaves his face. 

Jessica Lange portraying Mary Tyrone won a well-deserved Tony as best leading actress for her performance in this production of Long Day’s Journey into Night. Her unsettling nervousness, even in the beginning of the play when she tries to appear cheerful and flirty, conveys a deep discomfort that she ties to their nomadic life.    

Set design by Tom Pye features a faded interior with a dining room behind the glass doors in the back of the stage and an exit to the porch. Plenty of sky, visible through the windows, allows for observing the changing light throughout the day, orchestrated by Natasha Katz (Tony award for the best lighting design). However the openness of the space doesn’t leave an impression of lightness. The fog, constantly talked about in the play, finally appears towards the end, filling not only the porch but also the dining room with its greenish poisonous clouds.

Trying to escape the unwelcoming outside world, Marry prefers to fog her head with morphine. As we find out in the beginning of the play, she is a recovering addict.   The entire family is worried that she will start taking the drug again. This becomes a very realistic prospect after she finds out that her younger son, Edmund (John Gallagher, Jr.), is sick. Even though his doctor recommends that he not drink, he can’t resist whiskey, to which the entire family is addicted, including the older brother, James (Michael Shannon), the bitter cynic and brothel frequenter. 

As the day moves inevitably towards the night, we see how four members of Tyrone family are embarking on a journey of blame, self-pity and resentment. They are trying to support each other in their miseries yet they can’t resist blaming each other for their own disappointments. A hug is immediately followed by a slap, figuratively speaking. This is how O’Neil’s text is built and this is greatly emphasized by director Jonathan Kent, especially in his work with actors. The love-hate seesaw takes swings of a grand range within a sentence, keeping you on the edge of your seat for all 3 hours and 45 minutes.

The atmosphere is charged to the highest extent, you can almost hear the pluck of the taut nerves. Though each of the four family members contributes evenly to the sadomasochistic misery they are going through collectively, the play swirls around Mary, mainly because of the strong performance of Jessica Lange. From the restless fingers to the nuanced mimic, her performance engages every single muscle in her body. Her voice travels from high to low and back, breathing meaning and power to the words.

Pastel pallet dresses by Jane Greenwood match Lange’s pale skin and gray wig.  When she reappears from upstairs to deliver her last powerful monologue, Lange is dressed in a light blue-grayish robe, her hair braided loosely. As the orange light above the table fades out, leaving James Tyrone and his two sons in the darkness, the cold stream of white moonlight focuses on Mary, making her look like a ghost. She is drifting on the waves of her memories, carried away by the fogs of morphine.

Long Day’s Journey into Night by the Roundabout Theatre Company can be seen at the American Airlines Theater, 227 West 42^nd Street, New York thought June 26th. Tickets and more information at http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/