The Color Purple

The Charleston Light Opera Guild will present THE COLOR PURPLE, the African-American musical about love, at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theatre on May 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 19, 2012. 

The Color Purple is a musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer winning novel. Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey produced the musical on Broadway in 2005 starring LaChanze with a book by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Brenda Russel, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.

The score features a blend of gospel, blues, soul and musical theatre arrangements.  The 1985 film featured an impressive cast led by Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Opray Winfrey.

The musical is presented as Celie’s march to freedom, her search for peace.  Taking place in rural Georgia the story spans the years between 1909 and 1949.  Young Celie faces many hardships including a pregnancy at 14, marriage to a cruel farmer, Mister, and Mister’s imposed separation of Celie from her sister and best friend, Nettie.  Mister’s son, Harpo, grows up and brings home Sofia, a proud and strong-willed woman whom he loves and later marries.  Mister’s former love, a blues singer named Shug Avery, helps Celie become a stronger woman.  Finally, after spending years as an African missionary, Nettie returns and Celie’s search for peace and happiness is complete.

Nina Denton Pasinetti is the director/choreographer. Bobby Hodges, Jr. is musical director.  David Patrick is the Accompanist.