Say ‘Hell Sure!’ to THE COLOR PURPLE at Broadway At Music Circus
For me, the top of summer season in Sacramento is signaled by the identical occasion each year-the final present of the Broadway at Music Circus season. This summer season’s finish is especially bittersweet, because it marks the finale of a return to the spherical after two years of being at nighttime. Fittingly, this present is essentially the most highly effective manufacturing of the summer season. The Shade Purple is the final in what has been a outstanding season of unparalleled expertise and delicate themes. Based mostly on Alice Walker’s 1982 novel and 1985 film adaptation of the identical identify, The Shade Purple opened on Broadway in 2005 and earned eleven Tony Award nominations.
The top of summer season additionally begins to maneuver us right into a season of dormancy, adopted by a reawakening within the spring, very like the lead character within the present. Celie is a poor, uneducated, and unworldly black girl dwelling within the South who thinks that her lot in life is predetermined by God. Tormented by incest, an abusive marriage, and separation from her sister Nettie, Celie accepts her misfortunes and retains plugging alongside, content material that that is her future. It’s only when two highly effective girls come into her life that she realizes that issues might be totally different.
Angela Wildflower makes her Music Circus debut as Celie, exhibiting a uncooked vulnerability that the function requires and actually leaving all of it on the stage every night time. Starting as a naïve 14-year-old woman who has birthed two infants to changing into a profitable businesswoman who’s comfy in her personal pores and skin, Wildflower’s Celie runs a gamut of feelings that each one beg us to cheer her on. It is empowering to witness Celie come into her personal and uncover who she actually is after a lifetime of being informed what to do. In her anthem of independence, “I am Right here,” she takes her energy again and tells everybody who ever doubted her, “I am stunning, sure, I am stunning, and I am right here.” Contributing to her newfound rebel are her mates, Shug Avery and Sofia. Christina Acosta Robinson’s Shug is every little thing that Celie will not be, within the sense of sensuality and flightiness peppered with a big dose of cynicism. She pumps Celie stuffed with confidence and makes her assume that she could be worthy of affection, too, even when it is simply loving herself. Celie’s daughter-in-law, Sofia, is a girl who can’t be tamed and offers comedian reduction all through among the heavy themes within the present. Performed by Amma Osei, Sofia is a girl that will intimidate anybody and isn’t afraid to capitalize on it. She additionally possesses essentially the most highly effective and unforgettable feminine voice I’ve ever witnessed. In her inspiring quantity, “Hell No!”, she tells Celie that she has to start out fascinated by herself first and telling everybody else, “Hell no!”
The Shade Purple is a candid and uncooked look into the fact of an uneducated black girl with restricted choices within the early 1900’s rural South. It is tough to think about Celie’s existence now, however each girl can relate to some a part of the story. It is a story of rebirth, reinvention, and studying to like your self simply the way in which you are-something that we should always all be taught to do. Celie’s metamorphosis is an inspiring tackle what we will do if we’re tenacious and persevere, whereas additionally taking the time to understand the small beauties in life. “Like a drop of water within the river excessive, there are miracles for you and I.”
The Shade Purple performs at Broadway at Music Circus by means of August 28. Tickets could also be bought by calling (916) 557-1999, on-line at BroadwaySacramento.com, or in individual on the Broadway Sacramento Field Workplace at 1419 H Road in Sacramento.
Picture credit score: Kevin Graft
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