This was no shock at all. I was at the opening night performance of The Color Purple and I started to write a rant about the experience but I am REALLY trying not to complain as often as I do. But...since I saw this story, I have no reason to hold back now. So here goes... I bought tickets to this play almost as soon as they went on sale. However, until I arrived Thursday night, it didnt dawn on me that its limited run of only four days put it in the category of chitlin circuit rather than theatrical run. Nevertheless, we soldiered onward and inward. The second clue was when the 8:00 start time came and went without, well you know, it starting. We were entertained with a musical CD featuring old-school jams which was periodically interspersed with a voiceover that asked Are you wondering where you can buy a collection of this great music? Well after the third time of being asked, my answer was No. Im wondering when this play is going to start! I shouldve walked out when an unseen woman, just prior to the curtain going up told the audience sit back, relax and enjoy the show. I was confused. I thought I was about to see a PLAY, not a movie. Perhaps I was wrong. Finally, the curtain rose and the FIRST thing everyone noticed was how flimsy the props were, like they were literally made of corrugated cardboard. They were so cheaply made, they fluttered as the stage hands moved them across the stage. And the only reason I knew this was because YOU COULD SEE THE STAGE HANDS CRAWLING BEHIND AND NEXT TO THEM AS THEY WERE PLACED INTO POSITION. I thought I was watching an eighth grade production at a local middle school. It was totally ridiculous. Furthermore, the sound engineers could not properly operate the wireless microphones for the entire night. Each time an actor entered the stage, the microphone was not initially on, which meant the first ten to fifteen seconds was completely inaudible, regardless of whether the first line was a spoken word or a song. Often, when the microphones were working there was a distinctive and overpowering background hiss which distracted the audience from enjoying the actors performance. Additionally, the promoter fraudulently hyped Jennifer Holliday as The Color Purple lead when in fact she was cast in the role of Sophia. As Sophia of course, her stage time was extremely limited. The actress cast as Celie was far better than Ms. Holliday, as was the young lady who starred in the role of Suge Avery. Ms. Holliday clearly was prominently displayed just to sell some tickets. But even that didnt really work. The Music Hall was only half filled—for opening night. Having attended a real production of The Color Purple at the Fox Theatre in 2008, this was an extremely poor imitation in name only. The sets were tacky, the stage hands wacky and there was too much audience participation from your cousin named Jackie. This production of The Color Purple had me seeing The Color Red because I wasted The Color Green. I was completely disgusted and the promoter should be completely ashamed. I want my money back too. There. I said it.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 15:24:59 +0000
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