The Color Purple – Birmingham Hippodrome and Touring

Picture: Manuel Harlan

The Color Purple was reviewed at Birmingham Hippodrome and continues touring until 5 November 2022.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Color Purple. A heart-pounding story that began as a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, transformed into a Steven Spielberg award-winning movie, to then take the Broadway stage by storm, winning Tony Awards for both the 2006 and 2016 productions.

The musical now arrives in the form of a fresh UK tour, co-produced by Birmingham Hippodrome and Leicester Curve, and it’s an emotional, powerful and must-see production that you will never forget. From outstanding vocals to thought-provoking acting and clever direction, as well as striking lighting and set design that draws an audience into the action, this show ticks all the boxes.

The set is simplistic in the most perfect way. Two large screens sit at the back of the stage. From floor to ceiling, they change each scene from crop fields to snazzy 1920s jazz-bars, to dark jail cells, then bright luxurious clothing stores, as well as clearly presenting the passing of time to the audience. Alex Lowde’s set expertly helps the audience through what could potentially be quite a complex narrative, due to the amount of time jumps and characters, but along with the talented cast, this is no issue.

Among the cast, there is Me’sha Bryan, who takes centre stage as Celie. After a traumatic childhood, Celia has her two children taken away from her and is married off to a much older man. Celie’s sister, Nettie, is played by the elegant Aaliyah Zhané, who is also sent away and promises to write every week, but Celie’s husband hides the letters.

Despite not hearing from her sister, Celie never loses hope. She finds strength in the women around her and learns from them to value herself. The character has a wonderful arc, and you’re rooting for her the whole way through. Bryan plays the role of Celie with so much compassion and her transition from young girl to older woman is very believable. She is warm, lovable and the audience goes wild when she finally stands up for herself in Act II. Bryan’s rendition of ‘I’m Here’ is beyond words. There isn’t a single dry eye in the theatre, for Bryan emotes such a strong, heartfelt reaction. She possesses a strength that is other worldly. It’s mesmerising to witness.

Every member of the cast shines around her, from the witty humour that comes from the gospel trio, who add a nice wave of joy among the harder hitting scenes, to the male and female ensemble.

There’s also Shug Avery, played by Bree Smith, who is portrayed perfectly. Smith doesn’t come across as a caricature drunk starlet, but a real person with relatable feelings, and her actions really help push the story forward.

Another honourable mention has to go to Anelisa Lamola as Sofia. She truly commands the space and it’s difficult to take your eyes away from her. Jimand Allotey in her professional debut as Squeak is another stand out, delighting the audience with her humour and incredible dance skills.

The show seems to end too soon. You fall in love with each character and every journey along the way. Its ending is truly satisfying. The Color Purple (Tinuke Craig once again directs with Lakesha Arie-Angelo as revival director) is a five star show that I would award more stars to if possible.

Bette Murphy