The Color Purple (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (3,053)
See it if You're a fan of glorious singing and real human drama. Truly uplifting.
Don't see it if You don't like gospel music.
See it if you enjoy great singing (Erivo is a knock out) and spare, effective staging. Charged with emotion, TCP tells of Southern women's plight.
Don't see it if you want redemption to feel real (the villain even improves). The underpinnings are too religious for my taste, but the performances soar.
See it if Just see it. Cynthia Erivo may be the greatest talent on Broadway today. The whole show was brilliant.
Don't see it if Just see it.
See it if you like strong, inspiring voices in a powerful story, gospel and spiritual flavored score, memorable performances, Erivo is tremendous
Don't see it if you are expecting a big production number filled show, don't like gospel or intimate style musicals, don't want to be moved
See it if /for stripped down show that gets to story's emotional core: shift from hopelessness to uplift; EVERY performer/chorus is powerhouse singer
Don't see it if seek innovative show/memorable music/lyrics; still, show has several operatic moments that bring audience to its feet
See it if only to hear some great singing from Erivo & Headley; you want an example of when Doyle's stripped-down staging improves on the original.
Don't see it if you don't want to be emotionally manipulated; you don't like the show generally. (Tho this is probably the best the musical will ever get.)
See it if You didn't see the original. It's a tremendously well-written show.
Don't see it if You loved the original. Beyond the megawatt performance of Cynthia Erivo, this revival doesn't live up to the hype.
See it if you're a fan of the book or movie, you enjoy powerhouse singing, or you like stories about female empowerment.
Don't see it if you're considering seeing it based on the hype alone. It doesn't live up to it.
Critic Reviews (59)
"'The Color Purple' has been born again, and its conversion is a glory to behold…The current version is a slim, fleet-footed beauty...There’s a deep wealth of power within its restraint…It takes hard work, ruthless editing and a spark of genius to make a miracle on Broadway. That’s certainly true of this 'Color Purple'...Celie may have started off cowed, but we’ve always sensed that there’s a rare spirit inside. That about sums up Mr. Doyle’s relationship, too, to this vitally reincarnated musical."
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"Doyle’s production intensifies 'The Color Purple' and brings out its deeper hues. The musical blossoms into a classic…Doyle’s elegantly minimal production keeps Celie in sharp central focus throughout…Celie’s journey has a clearer sense of direction than before...Erivo is supported by a mighty sisterhood of performers…This 'Color Purple' is a celebration of black women, and it fills you with appreciation for the musical’s return. It’s here, and it’s beautiful."
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"A kind of theatrical CPR, restarting the heart of a show that, in its original production, seemed to die before your eyes…'The Color Purple' does still have its awkward elements: When the second act steps away from Celie, it loses focus and momentum…Doyle gets everything out of 'The Color Purple' that anyone could have thought to put in it...One of the best revivals ever."
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"This revelatory overhaul is characterized by its grace, restraint and soaring spirituality, peeling back the excess to expose the life-affirming material's molten emotional core. It remakes a patchy musical as a thrilling one…This production's manifold acts of renewal go far beyond its remarkable performances…The quality of the singing throughout, and the beauty of the harmonies, cannot be overpraised…This very fine revival is not to be missed."
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"In John Doyle’s emotionally rich and visually striking new production there is an elegant staging and three gorgeous star performances…Marsha Norman made the still-horrible parts of Celie’s story less devastating, and she allowed for the sunny, redemptive second half of the second act...The staging works remarkably well...As usual with Doyle, the streamlining allows the script’s emotion to shine clearly through."
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"The ladies wear the pants in John Doyle’s ravishing revival of 'The Color Purple...' In a feat of reverse magic, Doyle’s minimalist production maximizes the strength and beauty of Marsha Norman’s book… The score has a sweeping populist appeal, sensitive to each character’s specific lyric mood…Both the beauty and the brains of the score are evident in the fact that each character’s signature song belongs only to that character."
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"The musical version of the film version of Alice Walker’s novel is an exercise in treacly feel-good sentimentality, but Mr. Doyle’s scaled-down, ruthlessly cut version makes the best possible case for 'The Color Purple'...for all its own virtues, looks and feels like an off-Broadway show that made a wrong turn at 42nd Street."
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"A revival of 'The Color Purple' that lifts an already formidable musical into greatness…Marsha Norman’s book cunningly trims the story to essentials, and the songs get the job done…'The Color Purple' is more than the sum of its considerable parts. It’s a fine old-fashioned celebration of endurance, grace and goodness, given a powerful African-American depth. If you can’t cherish those you have an impervious heart indeed."
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