Interview: Carrie Compere Reflects on THE COLOR PURPLE'S Message of Self-Discovery and Human Connection

Chicago audiences will be able to experience the 2016 Tony Award-winning revival of THE COLOR PURPLE for the first time beginning next year. But Carrie Compere, who plays the role of Sofia, is no stranger to the production. Compere first took on the role as an understudy and then a replacement during the production's Broadway run. In advance of the show's arrival in the Windy City, Compere reflected on what it means to return to the production and her life on tour.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today. I know the national tour of THE COLOR PURPLE has been on the road for a bit now. What has the tour experience been like so far?

It's been great, especially for me being one of several cast members who came from Broadway with the show to be able to take the show now on the road and bring it to places where people wouldn't normally get a ticket and come to New York to see the show. Now they have an opportunity to see it and seeing the response to it has been really great.

For those who are unfamiliar, how would you describe the show?

[The show is really about] our central character Celie, and [it follows] her life from a very young girl having two children that were taken away from her. Her mother is dead. She is being raised by the man who she believes is her stepfather and also the father of her children. She is torn away from the people she loves and cares for her and how she navigates her life. Then we see these new characters, these women who come into her life and help her redefine herself and find herself and see what she was to offer in ways that she's never seen before. They also empower her in different areas of her life. With each of these characters, you go on a journey with them as well.

It's a journey. It's about love. It's about forgiveness. It's about self-discovery, reconciliation, and community. All those beautiful, wonderful things. And it's told in a way that is very honest and grounded.

You understudied the role of Sofia in the Broadway revival cast and then went on to play the role as a replacement. What is it like to revisit this role and production now?

It's been a joy to revisit it on tour because obviously being an understudy on Broadway you don't always get to go on. You jump in and out of it in spurts. To play Sofia on tour has been amazing for me because I've really had an opportunity to take time and inject my DNA into the role and figure out who she is and what she means for me. [It has been great] working with our director John Doyle, being able to talk to him about what his vision is with me playing for the role. We were able to get into some very specific things. It's been wonderful to make Sofia my own.

Having played this role on Broadway and now on tour, can you talk about how you build your relationship with your castmates and scene partners?

You have to be intentional from day one...We had such a close knit and tight broadway on family. So for me it was a little intimidating because it's like "Oh my god, these are gonna be new people playing these roles and playing the stage, and I don't know how it's gonna go. And we're gonna be on tour living right next to each other." I think you have to be intentional from day one. Just be open and be ready to receive whoever the people are. Also, just talking to each other, spending time, going to dinner, having a drink, and getting to know each other's personalities. We actually do have a really great group of people out on the tour. We have to spend a lot of time together so it's good we have such a great group. The chemistry onstage is really great. I love the chemistry I have with Harpo, [played by J. Daughtry]. He came in as a swing on Broadway so I knew him before I came on tour, but we hadn't spent that much time together...We spent time figuring out who our Harpo and Sofia are and how they came together in our version of the story. And that's been a really fun thing to discover.

What do you to take care of yourself while you're on tour?

A lot of sleep! The majority of us try to rest as much as we can. Stay hydrated. The typical stuff. Try to take care of our voices But also getting out and exploring the cities we're in. Food is big. I think food can tell a lot about the culture we're in and the city. We've been having a good time eating and getting to know the places we're in. A lot of us exercise a lot. We have a really healthy cast. There's a lot of going to the gym and going running. Several of us in the cast have run half marathons or full marathons...Ultimately, getting vocal rest as much as we can and just resting is the biggest thing.

What are you most excited to see or do when you're back here in Chicago?

I'm excited to see friends of mine who are in shows in Chicago. I have a few friends in HAMILTON and WAITRESS. I'm excited to link up with people I haven't seen in such a long time because we've all been on the road. I'm excited to be in Chicago and see all the sites. I definitely want some deep dish pizza. I want a hot dog. We're excited to just be there...Chicago is really beautiful, and I'm excited to be there when it's warmer.

What do you hope audiences take away from THE COLOR PURPLE?

Above all else, I hope that the audience takes away a desire and a responsibility to connect with each other, to connect human-to-human. I think we're so caught up in the social media world and everything is so wrapped up in technology. What I love about live theater is you go and sit down, and you have to talk someone you don't know and experience these live creatures in front of you telling a story and go through whatever that ride is together. A very special thing about THE COLOR PURPLE is because we're dealing with connecting human-to-human. We break the fourth wall in our show. I hope people walk out wanting to be more connected, maybe reconciling a relationship with someone they haven't talked to in a while or just embracing their friends and family a little bit more.

See Carrie Compere perform as Sofia during Broadway In Chicago's engagement of THE COLOR PURPLE from July 17-29. The revival plays the Auditorium Theatre, 50 East Congress Parkway. Visit BroadwayInChicago.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Headshot courtesy of Broadway In Chicago

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