Review Roundup: Paper Mill Playhouse Presents THE COLOR PURPLE

Paper Mill Playhouse's The Color Purple, directed by Tony Award-winner John Doyle is now on stage. The Color Purple is the Tony Award-winning musical revival based upon the novel written by Alice Walker and the Warner Bros./Amblin Entertainment motion picture with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray.

Cast members from the 2015 Broadway revival lead the Paper Mill Playhouse company, including Adrianna Hicks (Aladdin, Sister Act - Germany) as Celie, Carla R. Stewart (Ghost - National Tour, Rent - Regional) as Shug Avery and Carrie Compere (Holler If You Hear Me, Shrek the Musical - National Tour) as Sofia.

They are joined by Gavin Gregory (The Color Purple, The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess) as Mister, N'Jameh Camara (X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation) as Nettie, Jay Donnell (Miss Saigon) as Harpo, along with Darnell Abraham, Amar Atkins, Kyle E. Baird, Angela Birchett, Erica Durham, Bianca Horn, Jamal James, Mekhai Lee, Gabrielle Reid, C.E. Smith, Will T. Travis, Nyla Watson, J.D. Webster, Brit West and Nikisha Williams.

The Color Purple, the Tony Award-winning revival that thrilled Broadway audiences is coming to Paper Mill, where director John Doyle will remount his visionary production. This unforgettable and moving musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Academy Award-nominated film features a soul-raising, Grammy-winning score infused with jazz, gospel, ragtime, and blues. The Color Purple, with a book by Marsha Normanand music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, is a stirring family chronicle about the power of love and life. This show contains adult themes.

The Color Purple will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Performance schedule: Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 1:30pm and 7:30pm, Friday at 8:00pm, Saturday at 1:30pm and 8:00pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale now starting at $34. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.PaperMill.org.

Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by calling 973.379.3717. Students may order $23-$28 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office on the day of the performance.

Let's see what the critics have to say!

Jacqueline Cutler, NJ.com: For a musical built around the soaring voices of women who make us feel pain and joy, no show comes close. By the final curtain, it does feel as if you've been taken to church and reminded of the power of women, which in these trying times is a very good thing.

Bruce Chadwick, History News Network: The star of the musical is Celie, played brilliantly by the highly talented Adrianna Hicks. She is effervescent and, as the play progresses becomes far more than just the lovely purple flower in the field. She becomes a large, strong oak. Hicks is wonderful. You get depressed with her, you cry with her and, in the end, you stand up and cheer loudly for her. Director John Doyle does a super job of making Celie come to life amid a half dozen other memorable characters in the play. They are all finely cast and include N'Jameh Camara as sister Nettie, Carrie Compere as Celie's friend Sofia, Jay Donnell as Harpo, Gavin Gregory as Mister and Carla R. Stewart as glamour girl Shug Avery.

Marina Kennedy, BroadwayWorld: We applaud Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee for gifting metropolitan area audiences with the best in Modern American Theatre. Even if you have seen a rendition of The Color Purple Before, Paper Mill Playhouse's outstanding production is one that shouldn't be missed. It's a good time in our society to recognize the strength of women and their ability to rise above even the most painful difficulties. Because of the show's themes, it is suggested for mature audiences.

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