A wonderful musical production of Alice Walker’s THE COLOR PURPLE is now at The Greenway Court Theatre. This Tony Award-winning musical features a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. It is directed and choreographed by NAACP Theater Award-winner Jeffrey Polk.
THE COLOR PURPLE is the story of Celie (played here by Gabrielle Jackson), who faces many challenges but still manages to triumph and discover her place in the world. Perhaps you’ve seen the movie version of the story, in which Oprah Winfrey so famously portrayed the outspoken Sofia (at Greenway performed wonderfully by Dominique Kent), but you should definitely treat yourself to this wonderful theater production, which incorporates lots of humor and wonderful music even though its plot is based on the ugliness of our country’s past.
The show has a cast of 15, and everyone is wonderful. I can promise, however, that you will find absolute delight from the foursome of “Church Ladies” (Carol Dennis, Lynette DuPree, Jacquelin Schofield, and Mariah Strickland), and from the one-of-a-kind attitude dished out by Rachel Sarah Mount as Squeak.
The score features jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music, and Blues, performed live on stage by a quintet directed by Patrick Gandy.
This is a fabulous production. It will make you tear up, and it will make you laugh out loud. It proves that no huge stage is needed to send an audience home happy and inspired. This is, for sure, the one musical you should not miss this month.
THE COLOR PURPLE performs Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 4 pm, through Dec. 9, 2018. Tickets are $40, with student and senior prices at $20, available by calling (323) 673-0544 or at GreenwayCourtTheatre.org.
The Greenway Court Theatre is located at 544 North Fairfax Avenue, in Los Angeles 90036. There’s free parking in the lot on Fairfax and Clinton, adjacent to the theater.
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