“The Color Purple” Set at The Wharton Center

By Sarah Schmid

Producer Scott Sanders always heard music between the pages of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Color Purple." Then when the story was adapted into a Steven Spielberg film, Sander’s feeling that this tale deserved a musical voice increased.
 
"Watching the movie, it was so clear Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones could feel the music trying to break out," Sanders told the Sacramento Bee. "I just knew it should be really adapted as a full-blown musical to let it have that voice and sing."
 
Ah, but the Broadway community was skeptical. After all, we’re talking about a story that spans four decades and includes such cheerful plot points as infanticide, incest, domestic violence and racial oppression. It’s told through the eyes of Celie, an African American woman living in rural Georgia. Not exactly "The Lion King."
 
Plus, the conventional wisdom of the time said that a white audience wouldn’t come out in significant numbers to watch an "African-American" musical, and an African-American audience wouldn’t be interested in coming to New York City in great numbers to see a Broadway play. Conventional wisdom was wrong on both counts.
 
"The Color Purple," which had the high-powered backing of Oprah Winfrey, went on to gross $105 million and, after a successful Broadway run that included stars such as Michelle Williams and Fantasia Barrino, is set to tour nationally — including a stop at the Wharton Center Feb. 4 through Feb. 8 — until 2010.
 
"This show changed the course of thinking," said Felicia P. Fields, the Tony-nominated actress from the original Broadway cast who plays Sophia. " ‘The Color Purple’ is such a well-known movie. The African-American audience came to see it on Broadway in great numbers."
 
"This is not your typical show," Fields added. "It leaves a message; it touches lives. That’s why the show has been so successful. It’s not entertainment – it’s life-changing."
 
We spoke to Fields, a Chicago native, two days after President Obama’s inauguration. Perhaps because the magnificent power of the day was still very present in the atmosphere, we got to talking about history and demolishing old notions of what is and isn’t possible.
 
"How many people have said they never thought they’d live to see the day when all races would come together to elect Barack Obama president of the United States?" Fields said. "Even though the cast of ‘The Color Purple’ is predominantly African American, people of all races can identify with the story. "
 
Fields said that she is always amused to see what’s going on in the audience from the stage. When the show plays to predominantly African-American crowds, she says, the atmosphere in the theater is very raucous and lively. When the show plays to predominantly white crowds, she says, the atmosphere is considerably quieter.
 
"It’s fascinating for me to see what happens when we play to a mixed crowd," Fields said. "The African-American audience has the ability to draw the Caucasian audience into the excitement of
the show. We as actors like to see that – it fuels our performances. People should just come and be a part of the experience. Don’t be afraid to participate!"