The Color Purple (Broadway)
Closed 2h 20m
The Color Purple (Broadway)
94

The Color Purple (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

94%
(3068 Ratings)
Positive
99%
Mixed
1%
Negative
0%
Members say
Great acting, Great singing, Absorbing, Must see, Entertaining

About the Show

This stripped-down revival of the musical based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel won two 2016 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival. Directed by John Doyle and starring Tony winner Cynthia Erivo.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (3,068)

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91 Reviews | 23 Followers
100
Great singing, Must see, Masterful, Great staging, Original

See it if you want to see one of the greatest performances in theater history: Cynthia Erivo. Entire cast is perfection as is the minimalist staging.

Don't see it if you have to have a big production and special effects

50 Reviews | 14 Followers
100
Absorbing, Entertaining, Thought-provoking, Intense, Great singing

See it if Enjoy musicals, enjoy history

Don't see it if No reason not to!

61 Reviews | 82 Followers
100
Entertaining, Great acting, Masterful, Riveting

See it if you love great vocals and harmonies.

Don't see it if you are expecting a large scale musical with lots of sets. Read more

68 Reviews | 11 Followers
100
Refreshing, Must see, Intense, Exquisite

See it if You love immensely talented people singing and acting their hearts out.

Don't see it if You are interested in a "family friendly" show

52 Reviews | 18 Followers
100
Masterful, Riveting, Great staging, Relevant, Great singing

See it if You want a powerful musical theatre experience even with bare-bone theatrics. A masterpiece. The voices and sound are brilliant.

Don't see it if You simply don't care to be moved & mesmerized!

60 Reviews | 11 Followers
100
Profound, Must see, Great singing

See it if You want to be uplifted.

Don't see it if You don't want to shed a tear or two!

121 Reviews | 23 Followers
100
Great acting, Entertaining, Great singing

See it if excellent show sing and acting great

Don't see it if Dont like musicals

146 Reviews | 24 Followers
100
Absorbing, Masterful, Intense, Must see, Great singing

See it if you want to see an inspiring show that will make you laugh, cry, and remember the crazy strength that exists inside women.

Don't see it if you can't handle strong women

Critic Reviews (59)

DC Theatre Scene
December 16th, 2015

"Capable of both exquisite nuance and shattering power...Director John Doyle has reduced the size of the cast by about a third, and cut some 20 minutes of dialogue. The stripped-down result somehow makes this entertainment feel closer to a spiritual experience, which is what Alice Walker intended."
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The Clyde Fitch Report
December 11th, 2015

"The entire enterprise, in fact, is loaded to the wings with style, thanks to director John Doyle keeping things simple…The first thing to note is that their singing is glorious, from the goin’-to-church start straight through to the final, beautifully harmonized 'Amen'… The score is unusually strong compared to what passes for acceptable scores these days...Similarly, the lyrics remain pithy and germane…The show is a wonderful gift of the season."
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The Guardian (UK)
December 11th, 2015

"This version is streamlined and stripped down. Doyle’s strategy allows the fine performances to brighten it up...The script is more schematic than the novel, its complexities sometimes reduced to cliches... The emotive content can tend toward soppy and it’s Doyle’s choice to lessen sentiment and to treat the characters coolly and truthfully. Every so often this backfires but the simplicity and seriousness is often welcome."
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The Wrap
December 10th, 2015

"A sleek, vastly improved and altogether wonderful revival…Under John Doyle’s new, inspired direction the musical emerges as one of the most adult shows ever written…Doyle employs that same spare aesthetic for 'The Color Purple,' but this time he delivers what looks to be a big commercial hit…The new 'Color Purple' never loses sight of its Celie…Marsha Norman’s excellent book is essentially the same, but some of the songs have been cut."
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The Huffington Post
December 10th, 2015

"A stunning, exhilarating and altogether joyful theatrical experience. Chalk it up to conceptual point-of-view, along with a handful of supremely satisfying performances…Doyle's process of stripping material down to its essentials and foregoing scenery doesn't work for every musical...It sure works here, though, revealing a beating, pulsing heart within the show...Midway through the 2015-16 season, 'The Color Purple' is already a highlight...You're likely to end up cheering."
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The Huffington Post
June 3rd, 2016

"Mix Erivo and Headley together and you have two riveting star performances; when they are on opposite sides of the stage, you can barely figure out which way to look. The show itself remains a rouser...'The Color Purple' looks lustrous indeed. Add Ms. Headley to the mix and the overall enjoyment increases a couple of notches—without in the least detracting from Ms. Erivo’s lustrous star turn."
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B
June 23rd, 2016

"By concentrating attention on the show’s talented performers and the lively gospel-inflected score, Doyle has come up with a production that packs an emotional wallop. The superb cast act and sing at a very high level...Marsha Norman’s book has a lot to cover in a short time, but mostly succeeds in capturing the essence of Alice Walker’s novel. Since I had never heard of any of the composer/lyricists, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the score."
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Towleroad
December 11th, 2015

"Director John Doyle, who’s won acclaim for pared-down stagings of big musicals, here whittles it down to its essentials and tells Walker’s decades-spanning story with the help of just a few sheets, baskets, and a dozen or so wooden chairs. The result is captivating, intimate, and wholly affecting."
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