Stage Review - The Color Purple (Village Theatre)

Stage Review - The Color Purple
Presented By: Village Theatre - Issaquah , WA
Show Run: May 27 - June 29, 2025 (Issaquah); July 05 - July 27, 2025 (Everett)
Date Reviewed: Saturday, May 31, 2025 (Opening Weekend)
Run Time: 2 Hours, 30 Minutes (including a 20 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Isn’t it funny, that sense of deja vu you get when the feeling of familiarity hits you, that sense of recognition that you’ve either been in a particular place or have gone through an experience before? I think it was in checking my Facebook memories when it first started, when a memory of leaving Village Theatre in Issaquah jumped out at me. I had just seen their closing production for the 2022-23 season, Hello Dolly, and the first thing I remember about that memory is how blown away I was by that production. Bobbi Kotula, Allen Fitzpatrick, and a wonderful ensemble adorned in costumes the likes of which are rarely seen on stage around Seattle, and music that can’t help but put a smile on even the grumpiest of faces, combined to make a memory that in some ways is a litmus test against which other musicals can be compared. Now, don’t get me wrong, The Color Purple, this season’s closer at Village Theatre, is no lighthearted escape like Hello Dolly was, and though it is ultimately filled with hope, hope that folks can change for the better, hope that forgiveness can still be found in a society where the idea of a cancel culture gets so many headlines, and hope that there really is good in the world, it does take an arduous path to get there. Through its setting in the pre-Jim Crow South and its portrayal of male dominated domestic violence, among other hard truths, the musical, like the 1985 film before it, and the 1982 novel that inspired it, delves into one woman’s story and the hardships she has to overcome to live a fulfilled life. So, yes, story-wise it’s not Hello Dolly, but what it does have is every bit of the quality that musical did in its production and its performances. It also has Timothy McCuen Piggee, director of Hello Dolly and of last season’s Fat Ham at Seattle Rep, both productions that garnered Sound on Stage awards, Best Musical for Hello Dolly and Best Play for Fat Ham. The Color Purple aims to take that momentum and build on it, and what this cast and creative team have done under Timothy’s direction is on the right track, producing a musical that is nothing short of breathtaking.

The story is, if I’m being completely honest, seems to have become increasingly diluted from book to film to musical. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a strong piece, and this production is so tightly knitted together, it feels even more enjoyable than the original 1985 Steven Spielberg directed film. His version focuses on the plight of these black characters and mostly on the relationships between the men and the women in the story, while the book dives, in great detail no less, into the passionate relationship between two of its female protagonists, Celie, around whose plight the story revolves, and jazz singer Shug Avery, first and only true love of “Mister” (Celie’s husband). It’s Celie who helps bring Shug around when she arrives in town in bad shape, and while it’s clear from the story that there’s something strong between them, something more than I’ll say is depicted in the film, it’s nothing like what is portrayed in the novel. Of course, it’s hard to bring everything over from a novelization on to the stage, but the attempt here by Marsha Norman (Book) is a valiant one, and the addition of songs from Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray that are peppered by jazz, blues, ragtime, gospel and African musical influences help to add the kinds of details that Spielberg’s version just couldn’t, given the restrictions of his medium. The musical also feels as though it focuses less on the circumstances of the black community in the pre-Jim Crow South, thought it’s there to be sure, and more as a story of female empowerment, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does make it more universally accessible, it’s just different. The story does follow the general plot of the original, sisters Celie and Nettie, growing up in an abusive and incestuous home with a single father, Celie having just given birth to her son who is immediately swiped from her by her (and the baby’s) father, and Nettie dreaming of becoming a teacher. Celie steps in for her sister and marries “Mister”, who is one for keeping his women in line, albeit physically. Celie’s husband is capable of some pretty horrendous things when it comes to his wife, but all of that changes first when his son Harpo brings home the strong willed and hard nosed Sofia, but even more so when his first love Shug Avery comes back to town. What follows is an unexpected love story through which Celie finds the strength to persevere through the abusiveness of her husband and the hardships of her life, a redemption story for said husband that proves that, given the chance and the acceptance, people can change for the better, and an interrogation of the pursuit of power and its intended (and unintended) consequences.

There is so much to love about how the story is presented, and it’s a healthy combination of the design elements and the execution of the performances that help it to reach the high level of quality that it does. What’s most impressive to me, though, and on this I give Timothy the lion’s share of the credit, is in the overall flow of the show; from start to finish it feels like one continuous cinematic camera shot. Using Carey Wong’s set, which resembles (to a point) that used in the most recent Broadway revival of The Color Purple, with its multiple layers of wood decking, weathered to resemble the harshness of the Deep South, each scene is designed to flow right into the next, so that when the lighting (designed by Sherrice Mojgani) comes down on one area of the stage and up on another, the actors are already in place and the production is able to slide into the next scene. Or in some cases Timothy’s blocking places his characters in a position to end one scene and start another so that nothing is lost, no gaps, no pauses, no slowing of the pace of the show. Quite frankly, it’s beautifully done, a choreography unto itself. The set isn’t just the layered platforms, though, it’s also a series of sliding vertical panels that enter from both sides of the stage to provide a bit more of an infrastructure to the set, one of the best uses of them is early on when Celie gives birth to her new child. While one sister experiences a most turbulent marital relationship, the other finds her calling as a result. After Nettie is shunned from her sister’s home by Mister, she makes her way, through her church, to Africa, an arc which leads to a re-introduction of her to the audience at the beginning of Act 2. In this scene, Nettie is in Africa, surrounded by the ensemble all dressed in exquisitely designed costumes inspired by the continent, some of Ricky German’s best work in a show that otherwise would still be considered an achievement. Completing the scene for the Act 2 opener are banners draping down from the ceiling, transforming what in Act 1 (and again later in Act 2) is the Southeastern United States to a location where it feels like Africa is literally marching down the street. Nettie’s complacency is soon turned on its head with the arrival of tribal wars, the showing of which is handled nicely by Sherrice’s lighting and Robertson Wilmer’s sound, combining to provide a shock to the audience, letting them know that Act 2 is in high gear.

I’ve said it before, The Color Purple takes a hard road to get to its hopeful ending, and it asks a lot of the audience emotionally, which means in turn that it asks a lot of the actors as well. There’s so much good in this cast, I could dedicate an entire paragraph to each of the leads, and at least one for the ensemble and supporting group. Mariah Lyttle as Celie is a fabulous lead, her work at the opening of the musical with Brandi Birdsong’s Nettie shows the love that the two have for each other, a love that drives Mariah’s Celie to sacrifice what she thinks is the rest of her life for her sister’s well-being. Celie’s arc is at the heart of the storytelling, and it truly is one that requires a lot from Mariah, forcing her to reach deeply into her emotional toolbox. She brings a sadness to the way the character is portrayed at the beginning, a sadness that is at the most basic level of Celie, but it’s not something that keeps her down or is ever used as an excuse. Celie keeps going despite this underlying sadness, and that’s because of the strength she carries along with it. It’s that strength that Shug Avery (Claudine Mboligikpelani) sees that draws her to Celie, and Mariah is excellent in the way she keeps that sadness at bay as she transforms into the hopeful woman she becomes by the end of the musical. Vocally, Mariah is extremely gifted, she and Brandi’s Nettie play off of each other very well in the opening, that is before Celie is taken away at church after she begins her labor. She’s pleading in “Our Prayer”, resolved when Celie is introduced to the hardworking life as Mister’s wife in “Big Dog”, a number that features Jahmul Bakare’s strong and deep opera-like voice, sweet and loving with Claudine’s Shug Avery in “What About Love?”, jazzy and happy in “Miss Celie’s Pants” after she discovers that she’s been left her childhood home and store and opens a business selling her clothing designs, and independent, determined, and strong in “I’m Here”, a show stopping solo in which Celie completes her transformational journey and Mariah displays her incredible vocal ability.

Perhaps no character in The Color Purple goes through as extensive a metamorphosis, though, as Mister, who is jaw-droppingly despicable when the musical begins. One of the criticisms of the Spielberg film was in how it portrayed the Black men of the time, strong and abusive, in a stereotypical way. While Mister starts out that way, his journey is one of light and not dark, and Jahmaul is stunningly good on both sides. His depiction of what comes across as truly bad is impeccable, the permission he gives himself to go all in on this end of the spectrum is full, but Jahmaul also understands that Mister, too, has a sadness that leads him to act in this way, a sadness and longing for his one true love, Shug Avery. His performance in “Big Dog” is larger than life, and with an ensemble backing him that is as good as this one is as well as the excellence in the show’s design elements, this number is frightfully good. And while he presents the evil in Mister, his humble return toward the end of the show is just as good, as is how he presents his character’s love for Shug.

Nobody knows how this story would play out if not for two women, disruptors in the lives of Mister, Celie, and all that are in their orbit. Shug, of course, is one of them, she comes into the story when she’s needed most, especially for Celie, but also for Mister’s son Harpo, who is going through a time with his strong-willed wife Sofia, played so very well here by Shermona Mitchell. When the struggling jazz singer enters the picture, she gives Celie confidence and she gives Harpo a sense of hope with the juke joint he is building out of his marital home. Claudine depicts the pain of the down on her luck Shug when she arrives, the caring side of her character in her relationship with Celie, her confidence as her health continues to improve, and a bit of her self-centered nature when she is faced with making a choice between her new relationship and her career. But Shug is a woman of her word, and Claudine shows her versatility in playing all of these aspects of this surprisingly complex character. Of course, she can also sing, and perhaps as the character who is the singer, there’s probably a little more of an expectation that the actor playing her also has a superlative level of talent, and Claudine most certainly does. The numbers “Too Beautiful for Words”, “Push Da Button”, and “What About Love” are three sides of the supremely talented coin that is Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako, the former a bluesy love declaration from Shug to Celie, the latter a beautifully performed duet from Claudine and Mariah’s Celie, and “Push Da Button” is a raucous and bluesy juke joint number that shows Claudine’s sexy and provocative side, a cut loose moment in a show that is otherwise on the heavier side. For me, though, it’s the character of Sofia that draws most of my attention and the performance from Shermona Mitchell. While I’m not a fan of the distilling, not of the Sofia character, but of her circumstances that is done in the musical, she’s still a vital part of the storytelling, and it’s her strength, resilience, and independence that is inspiring to the other key characters in the piece. Here, her character has the same experiences as in the book and film, but the extent of what she goes through isn’t shown, though what is depicted is her attitude, her refusal to be repressed or subjugated by a man, which is what helps Celie start to think about her life with Mister, and how he treats her. Shermona is great in this role and her “Hell No” is such a fun display of her vocals, her portrayal of Sofia’s personality, and her incredible stage presence. The strength of Shermona’s voice in this song is incredible to hear, but she also shows her ability for humor in the duet with Jesimiel R. Jenkins’ Harpo, “Any Little Thing”.

As I said, there’s so much about this cast that is good, and that includes Jesimiel’s Harpo as well as the three gossipy Church Ladies Melany Bell, Crystal Hairston, and Kataka J. Mackenzie. That trio are fun to watch during their vocal interludes, expressing tight harmony and the sly looks of their characters when then talk, or sing, out of school. Anteia De Laney is also good as Squeak, the barmaid that Harpo hires for his juke joint and who garners too much of his attention, at least according to Sofia. Rounding out the cast are wonderful performances from Chandler T. Thomas as Pa, the girls’ abusive father, Terence Kelley as “Ol’ Mister”, Mister’s father, Isaiah Banks as Bobby, Aniah Long as Olivia, Charles L. Simmons as Adam, and Tarquinn White as Grady. It’s a cast that, from top to bottom, brings a great deal of talent to bear, in their acting, singing, and execution of Nikki Long’s choreography, my personal favorite being that African inspired number, called, of course, “Africa”, which opens the second act.

While some theatre companies start out strong, and find a plateau in their level of quality as the season progresses, the trend with Village Theatre seems to be something akin to a crescendo, starting strong enough, but building all season until their closer comes, which leaves everything else in its dust. This season’s season-closing musical meets that mark solidly, with The Color Purple. Directed by Timothy McCuen Piggee, whose track record isn’t shabby either, having directed two Sound on Stage award winning productions over the last two seasons, this production takes a version of a story that is somewhat diluted from its previous incarnations in print and film, and lifts it to a new height with an unmatched level of quality and flow of storytelling that reaches into the audience’s soul, pulls them in, and doesn’t let go. Like Once on This Island and Hello Dolly in prior seasons, The Color Purple wraps up the Village Theatre season on a high and only makes me look forward to next year’s slate that much more.

The Color Purple runs on stage at Village Theatre in Issaquah through June 29 before beginning its run in Everett from July 5 through July 27. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://villagetheatre.org.

Photo credit: Auston James