Review: Brilliant and Beautiful: MSMT Stands Tall with THE COLOR PURPLE

For its third 2022 main stage production, Maine State Music Theatre has mounted a brilliant, beautiful, authentic, and heartwarming staging of the musical adaptation of Alice Walker's epistolary novel, THE COLOR PURPLE. This epic story chronicles the journeys of its complex characters through hardship and pain to hope and healing. Inspirational and uplifting, it is a tale of resilience, redemption, and love, that speaks with powerful universality, and in this stunning production, directed by E. Faye Butler, it becomes one of those unforgettable, transformative moments in the theatre.

The 2005 musical adaptation of THE COLOR PURPLE adheres closely to the plot lines of the source material, carefully condensing and consolidating it into a tightly woven script in which every moment - both spoken and sung - advances the flow of the storyline. Marsha Norman's book retains the emotional and narrative highpoints, while Brenda Russell/Allee Willis/Stephen Bray's music and lyrics combine a rich tapestry of gospel, jazz, blues, African music, and ragtime that create the context and enhance the expressive depth of the work.

Director E. Faye Butler brings a wisdom and empathy to her storytelling, and she has clearly inspired the entire cast and creative team to take this production to a higher plane. Her framing of the narrative is seamless - indeed, so tightly crafted that the work seems almost through composed (though it is not literally) with dialogue melting into song with no sense of obvious transition. Her pacing is brisk and her instinct for the profound emotional moments is unerring.

Tony-nominated for her portrayal of Sofia in the original Broadway production, Felicia P. Fields proves an invaluable source of sage artistic advice and support for Butler and for this production.

Choreographer Flo Walker-Harris brings a varied dance vocabulary to the piece, drawing on period styles and combining jazz, tap, African movement and pure musical theatre exuberance. Like the songs, the dance grows organically from the action, never interrupting, but always enhancing.

Music Director Jarred Lee at the keyboards conducts the eight-person orchestra with elegance and energy and guides the dazzling vocal performances.

The physical production is rich in its visual values. Scenic Designer Charles S. Kading creates a simple unit set with sliding panels to define different locales, built from distressed wood in neutral colors layered with projections by Ryan Swift Joyner. Lighting Designer Jeffrey S. Koger adds to the subdued palette, suggesting the dusty heat of rural Georgia, the glittering interiors of the juke joint, or the ever-present metaphor of the color purple. The characterful costumes by Bottari and Case (Costume Coordinator Kathleen Payton Brown, Wig Designer Kevin S. Foster II) evoke the early 20th century, contrasting the homespun clothes of poor rural life with the glamour of Shug Avery's wardrobe and the bold fabrics of the African scenes. Shannon Slaton delivers his customary well-balanced soundscape, together with atmospheric sound effects that conjure up farmlands and African plains, while Production Stage Manager Mark Johnston (Amy Bertacini, Assistant Stage Manager) ably anchor the production.

The eighteen-person cast, many in their MSMT debuts, offers a tightly knit ensemble. As the protagonist Celie, newcomer Jaden Dominque makes a profound impression both as an actress and a vocalist, demonstrating an extraordinary presence and maturity. Her transformation from timid, abused child to determined, even defiant woman is both shattering and inspiring to watch, and when she stands triumphant and vindicated in her love and selfhood at the end, there is not a dry eye in the house. Vocally, she possesses a rich, dark voice, capable of searing outbursts of emotion that rock the theatre. On opening night, she was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation at the conclusion of "I'm Here."

Tavia Rivée plays her sister Nettie as a gentle, luminous, almost poetic spirit, whose presence and epistolary voice form the core of Celie's faith and strength. Her duet with her sister, "Our Prayer" is one of the radiant moments of the drama.

DeQuina Moore portrays Shug Avery as a warm-hearted, free-spirited breath of fresh air, and her allure and charisma completely explain why Shug is the catalytic character she is. Gifted with some of the most poignant numbers in the show, Moore tugs at the heartstrings with "Too Beautiful for Words" and "What About Love?"

Maiesha McQueen makes Sofia a vibrant, larger-than-life presence, bringing down the house in her big number, "Hell No."

Dori Waymer is perfect as the flirtatious, ambitious Squeak, seemingly frivolous but finding just enough grit to stand up for herself and her future.

Kelvin Roston, Jr. gives a stunning vocal and dramatic performance as Mister journeying from abusive brutality to repentance and redemption; deeply flawed, he is as much a victim as a victimizer, and his epiphany ("Mister's Song") that brings compassion and contrition is deeply moving.

As Harpo, Lawrence Flowers gives an animated and appealing performance of a young man seeking to break the destructive generational cycle of his male ancestors.

The hugely talented ensemble fleshes out the narrative by playing a variety of characters with idiomatic excellence. As the gossiping Church Ladies, La'Nette Wallace (Darlene), Tarra Conner Jones (Jarene), and Nyla Watson (Doris), form a kind of gospel chorus, commenting on the action with frequently savage wit. Mikayla Jane and Willie Clyde Beaton II make heartwarming appearances as Olivia and Adam respectively.

Korie Lee Blossey as Pa, Ron King as Grady, Darren Lorenzo as the Preacher and Ol' Mister, Devon Price as Bobby and Dance Captain, Courtney Blackmun as Sofia Sister, and Swing Tyler Johnson-Campion round out the dynamic cast.

With this production of THE COLOR PURPLE, Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark and MSMT stand tall in both artistic achievement and in fulfilling what Clark has called "theatre's duty to illuminate the human condition, to inspire change, and to spark conversations that can bring us closer together." Different in style and substance from many of the musicals seen on MSMT's roster, THE COLOR PURPLE demonstrates the company's range, versatility, and depth of skill. Imagined with vision and compassion, realized with an exquisite aesthetic and dramatic sensibility, THE COLOR PURPLE takes the audience on soul-enriching journey that affirms and strengthens our common humanity.

Photos courtesy of MSMT, Jared Morneau, photographer

THE COLOR PURPLE runs from July 20-August 6, 2022 at MSMT's Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus, 1 Bath Road, Brunswick, ME www.msmt.org 207-725-8769

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