The Color Purple is a musical triumph with stunning performances and a timeless message that places love at the center of everything. It’s hard to blend multiple genres when adapting a story that’s been around for decades. Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name is a beautifully written but deeply heavy story that’s hard to revisit. Still, despite the more severe storylines that are condensed to fit into a two-and-a-half-hour film, The Color Purple musical shines as a memorable spectacle.
Fantasia Barrino is extraordinary in her embodiment of Celie, taking her from a broken young woman forced to grow up too soon to one who finds herself and seizes the life she wants. Blitz Bazawule’s adaptation understandably features fewer letters, but the emotions cemented in the beginning are an ever-present light throughout. Written by Marcus Gardley and Marsha Norman, the screenplay packs the necessary points to balance the softer themes with the darker ones to tell a story about a woman’s agency, faith, forgiveness, and love. It fumbles just slightly in its pacing, but with a novel of this caliber, it’s entirely fathomable why the film tries to carry as much as it does.
The Color Purple Musical Is a Testament to Its Extraordinary Cast
Alongside Barrino, The Color Purple musical thrives because of its astonishing cast, with Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks bringing some of the most memorable supporting roles. Additionally, Colman Domingo, H.E.R., Ciara, and Corey Hawkins all shine brilliantly alongside Phylicia Pearl Mpasi and Halle Bailey as the younger characters. Deon Cole is also utterly fantastic, making anyone who watched Black-ish forget that he’s ever done comedy. The performances are chilling, haunting, and simultaneously full of so much passion it’s mesmerizing throughout. This is undoubtedly the most unique adaptation of the book yet, as it encompasses the important lessons through an artistry that only the best kind of musicals could capture. If it’s this brilliant on film, I’d love to see it on the Broadway stage, too.
As a Christian, one of the things I often struggle with in films is the overt displays of faith that feel spoon-fed and, thus, come off as highly saccharine. However, through Shug Avery and Celie’s budding dynamic, God’s wonders and charitable deeds come to light in a way that genuinely feels otherworldly. Because His love is portrayed through their complex characterizations and innately human behavior, we feel the presence of God most. There’s not a single person in the world who’s perfect, but God being a God who wants praise (as we all do in this world) is indeed a beautifully enamoring concept to think about. We acknowledge His breathtaking creations, and at the same time, we thrive from the talents we’re given, like Shug’s love for singing and Celie’s craftsmanship with a needle and thread. It’s an authentic showcase that God is love, and our troubles don’t come from him but from the free will humans have to choose for themselves in this world. A loving God isn’t full of malice, hatred, or abuse of any kind.
Further, the film tackles relationships in a wholesome approach, noting that people can not only love more than one person but also, there can be enough room in someone’s heart to fall in love more than once. The songs overflow with powerful messages, but the simple lyrics tell breathtaking stories through simple means of expression. And this very simplicity makes it evocative in the best way. While Shug and Celie aren’t given a happy ending as a couple, the tender moments we get with them are full of so much longing that it’s satisfying still. Perhaps if this were a different time—if happy endings looked the way they do now. Still, both their love and lasting friendship make for some of the most pleasing moments in the film.
Henson’s Shug has such brilliant empathy that gleams exceptionally with the heart, fire and wonders that she weaves into the character. The character is exquisite in the book, but Henson’s performances undeniably shine in a way that’s so hard to forget. She’s glistening through every turn with so much love in her heart that it’s easy to cry nearly every time she opens up. In truth, not to sound like a broken record, but the same can be said about all the women. What each of them brings to their characters is nothing short of brilliant. The scene where Danielle Brooks’ Sofia finds her light again is something that words cannot even begin to describe—powerful, endearing, and so deeply satisfying. How the younger actors and older ones for Celie and Nettie share the same fire and soul through their performances is simply masterful. Not a single performer feels miscast.
It’s a Love Letter to the Women Who Show Up for Each Other
The Color Purple musical is a soulful, gorgeously heartwarming story about all forms of love and freedom. It’s hard to be a woman in the world, but it’s even harder to be a woman of color—a Black woman fighting entirely by herself after losing so much. Yet, the film is all about the strength waiting to strike from within, and it does—it does so gorgeously as Celie takes back her agency and knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that she is loved and protected in the end.
Ultimately, the changes to the book make sense for a musical adaptation, and each of the women will leave a mark. Whether a viewer walks into the movie knowing the book’s narrative, they’ll likely come out of it with their hearts bursting for the love of found families and the understanding that the world can be a better place when women stand and fight together. There are too many great numbers with unbeatable choreography to highlight and too many incredible moments that will leave the audience thinking. It’s a joyous triumph in every way, even when it tells a dark story because it’s a reminder that love saves us all. It’s a reminder that showing up for people when they don’t show up for themselves can be the very strength they need to find their voices amidst the darkness trying to silence them.