[NEohioPAL] Berko review: THE COLOR PURPLEA @ Karamu

[Roy Berko]

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 *Emotionally laden THE COLOR PURPLE at Karamu*



Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)



There probably isn’t a friendlier theatre for audiences in town than Karamu.
Guests are greeted by the gracious Vivian Wilson, the theatre’s public
relations director.  If you get to the theatre early, there’s always
someone inviting you to sit down at their table and talk.  After the
production, the cast lines up to thank you for coming.



Karamu is the oldest African American-oriented theatre in the country.  They
pick shows that fit their audiences.  This is not to say the theatre is
black-centered, it’s not.  Audiences are almost always integrated, as are
the casts.



THE COLOR PURPLE, which is now being produced at their Jelliffe Theatre,
was written by Alice Walker.  Walker was the first African-American woman
to win a Pulitzer Prize for the novel, THE COLOR PURPLE.  Her marriage to
white and Jewish Melvyn Leventhal was the first recorded racially
integrated union in Mississippi.  She coined the word *womanist*, which she
defines as “a woman who loves other women sexually or non-sexually and men
sexually and non-sexually.  A woman is to feminist as lavender is to
purple.”



Obviously, her being African-American and the concept of being a *womanist*

are at the core of THE COLOR PURPLE.



The Broadway production of THE COLOR PURPLE earned eleven Tony Award
nominations and ran 910 performances.  It is presently touring through the
United States, making a Cleveland stop in March of 2008.



It’s rural Georgia in the 1930s.  Two young girls are singing the clapping
game, *Huckleberry Pie*.  It quickly becomes apparent that though the girls
appear happy, Celie, the 14 year-old, is pregnant.  She is the victim of
her father’s incest for the second time.  Pa gives away both children,
leaving Celie not only childless but unable to bare future babies.  Celie,
as she does throughout the play, turns to God for a sign, for something
that will let her know what is happening to her.  Eventually she is given
to Mister, a man in need of someone to take care of his children, work as
his “woman” and use her for sexual pleasure. Nettie, Celie’s sister comes
to visit, sharing that their father is now attempting to have sex with her.
When Nettie attempts to stay with Celie, Mister tries to rape her and she
runs away.



Celie eventually finds self-pride and independence, Nettie befriends
Celie’s children, who were taken in by a missionary family, and the horror
and frustrations turn to reunited love.



The music and dancing are well integrated into the story, as are racism and
sexism.  Though there are no classics in the score, the over twenty-five
songs, effectively push the story along.



The title of the play is an important symbol.  Celie is going through life
with little ability to notice the beauty of life. The color purple, the
color of bruises on her body from the continued rapes and beatings,
transforms into the color of beauty, as the purple flowers of the field
bloom as Celie heals and grows into a *womanist*.



The Karamu production, under the direction of Terrence Spivey is uneven.  The
acting is generally excellent.  The lovely Coleen Longshaw is mesmerizing
as Celie.  She has a fine singing voice, interprets songs well, and makes
Celie go from a beat down girl to an inspired woman.  She is matched by
Mikhaela LaShawn as Shug, Celie’s friend and guide, and Corlesia Smith as
Celie’s sister, Nettie.  The gossiping Church Ladies (Layne Farr, Joyce
Linzy and Andrenée Fant Priest) are a hoot.  Christina Johnson is properly
overbearing as Celie’s friend, Sophia.



On the male side, Dyrell Barnett creates in Harpo an endearing
soft-hearted, hen-pecked man.  Michael May is so abusive that if the
audience hadn’t been so polite, they would have booed him, as well as the
equally obnoxious Kenny Charles, Celie’s Pa.



On the other hand, the pacing is too languid, there are too many pauses for
awkward set changes, the sound system squeals and pops and is too loud, and
though it plays well, the band often drowns out the singers.



The choreography by Angelique Richelle Lipford was creative and
enthusiastic, but sometimes undisciplined.

* *

*CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: THE COLOR PURPLE, which is an appropriate selection for
Karamu’s mission, gets a good, but somewhat flawed production, filled with
some wonderful singing and acting.*

* *

THE COLOR PURPLE continues through October 28 at Karamu, 2355 East 89th
Street, which has a fenced, guarded and lighted parking lot adjacent to the
theatre, and provides free parking.  For ticket information call
216-795-7077.

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