The Color Purple Reigns At Hollywood Pantages

By Darlene Donloe

When Alice Walker’s The Color Purple came out in book form, in 1982, it quickly became a best seller. It won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

When the book became a movie, helmed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Adolf Caesar, Danny Glover and Margaret Avery, it was controversial, yet applauded, garnering 11 Academy Award nominations – walking away with none.

When the book and movie were adapted into a Broadway musical, it was heralded once again.

After three decades the play, which is set in Georgia between 1909 and 1949, continues to be an audience favorite with its heartbreaking, emotional – yet triumphant story accompanied by a thumping soundtrack.

The excitement for this production continues with the first North American tour of the 2016 Tony Award®-winning (Best Musical Revival) Broadway revival of The Color Purple, which recently arrived at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

Adapted for the stage by Tony-and Pulitzer-winner Marsha Norman with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, this latest incarnation is full of heart and loaded with talent.  

Three members of the cast of the 2016 Broadway revival, including Adrianna Hicks (Aladdin - Broadway, Sister Act - Germany) as Celie, Carla R. Stewart (Ghost – National Tour, Rent - Regional) as Shug Avery and Carrie Compere (Holler If You Hear Me, Shrek the Musical – National Tour) as Sofia lead the company.

  

Carla R. Stewart as Shug Avery in the touring production of The Color Purple. 

(Matthew Murphy)

The Color Purple, which has a Grammy-nominated score, is a moving, sentimental saga about poor, black women from the Deep South finding their inner strength. One of those women is a teen named Celie who is abused in every imaginable by her husband, Mister, who has a thing for a loose woman named Shug Avery.

When Walker’s book first came out, the domestic tension between Celie and Mister and the perceived lesbian relationship between Celie and Shug Avery was met with some resistance and some controversy.  It was thought the black community and, in particular, the black church would denounce the book and the film. Instead, the book won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the film became a box office hit.

In the beginning, Celie, the play’s central character, is an oppressed 14-year-old girl, whose only bright light in the world is her sister, Nettie. After being subjected to years of abuse and unconscionable servitude, and after losing her sister Nettie, Celie experiences an awakening that allows her to finally unearth her voice.

N’Jameh Camara (Nettie), Bianca Horn (Ensemble/Church Lady), Angela Birchett (Ensemble/Church Lady)
and Brit West (Ensemble/Church Lady) in 'The Color Purple.' (Matthew Murphy)

Celie is played by Adrianna Hicks and Nettie is played by N’Jameh Camara, whose voices soar throughout the theater.

The voices emanating from the supporting cast are all equally impressive.

Shug Avery’s (Carla R Stewart) Push The Button and Sofia’s (Carrie Compere) Hell No!, are show-stopping numbers that gets the audience swinging, swaying and rocking.

By the time the musical is about to end, the audience has been taken on an emotional roller coaster ride. They’ve laughed, they’ve cried and they’ve cheered as they’ve watched Celie become her own woman exhibiting strength internally and externally.

Through songs like Too Beautiful for Words, The Color Purple and I’m Here, Celie walks her solitary journey toward freedom and love, specifically her affection for Shug Avery.

Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray’s music is, indeed, one of the characters.  It moves the story forward. One of those moments is when Sofia (Carrie Compere) and Harpo (J. Daughtry) sing the spicy and naughty Any Little Thing while deciding to rekindle their relationship.

Compere and Daughtry are both a breath of fresh air.  Compere convincingly plays the no-nonsense, ain’t-taken-nuttin-from-no-man Sofia. Daughtry is just the right amount of henpecked.

The set design is creative and sparse. There’s a wall of chairs as a backdrop, propped on a fractured wooden wall.

John Doyle’s direction is intricate, yet fluid and simplistic.  Armed with only chairs as props, the cast is forced to bring the characters to life without the crutch of furniture or actual props.  Doyle has the cast moving chairs, quite frequently to signify a scene change, an emotional change, as well as a change in a moment in time.  It works in many ways – with the actors moving about the stage with precision.

The one thing missing from this incarnation is the lack of guttural, spiritual undertones heard in other Purple productions.

Tony Award®-winning director and scenic designer John Doyle (Sweeney Todd, Company) recreates his award-winning work for the national tour, alongside costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Jane Cox, sound by Dan Moses Schreier and wig & hair design by Charles G. LaPointe.

The Color Purple stars Adriana Hicks (Celie), Carla R. Stewart (Shug Avery), Carrie Compere (Sofia), Gavin Gregory (Mister) and N’Jameh Camara (Harpo).  The cast also includes Darnell Abraham (Adam), Amar Atkins (Guard), Kyle E. Baird (Bobby/Buster), Angela Birchett (Church Lady), Jared Dixon (Grady), Erica Durham (Squeak), Bianca Horn (Church Lady), Gabrielle Reid (Olivia), C.E. Smith (Preacher/Ol’ Mister), Clyde Voce (Swing), Nyla Watson (Swing), J.D. Webster (Pa), Brit West (Church Lady), Nikisha Williams (Swing) and Michael Wordly (Swing).

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), The Color Purple gets an O (oh, yeah).

The Color Purple moves down the road to the Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, where it will hold court June 19-24.

The Color Purple, 8 p.m. Tues-Fri, 2 and 8 p.m. Sat, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sun. through June 17; tickets start at $35; Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; www.HollywoodPantages.com/LoveNeverDies www.Ticketmaster.com, (800) 982 2787.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, June 19-24,

Tickets: Start at $29, Information: (714) 556-2787 or www.SCFTA.org

Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival Presents Legends, Movement, And Memories On June 24

Florence LaRue   

      Stars of Broadway, music, movies, and television are expected to attend the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF) when it comes to Culver City for a unique performance at 8 p.m., Sunday, June 24, 2018,  at the Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.

Florence LaRue, an original member of the legendary, Grammy® Award-winning pop singing group The 5^th Dimension will host the evening of entertainment.  The last remaining original member of the group that originated the genre called “Champagne Soul,” she still tours with the current version of the group today, singing the group’s original songs, and more. She also appeared in the national tour of the Broadway hit Ain’t Misbehavin’.

 

Kym Whitley

Co-hosting with LaRue is actor Kym Whitley, a television favorite (Young and Hungry, Black Dynamite, and Sparks) and star of many popular films (including Next Friday, Deliver Us from Eva, and Along Came Polly).

Freda Payne as Ella

    R&B legendary award-winning star Freda Payne will premiere an excerpt from her nationally-touring show Ella Fitzgerald First Lady of Song. This will be the first opportunity for Los Angeles audiences to see Freda Payne portray the revered legend of jazz. Payne has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in recognition of her long string of vocal hits (including Band of Gold, Bring the Boys Home, The Unhooked Generation, and Cherish What Is Dear to You). Also an actor, she has starred in a number of popular films including Book of Numbers, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and Deadly Rhapsody).

Eloise Laws

     Eloise Laws, an award-winning member of a legendary and celebrated jazz family (Ronnie, Hubert and Debra Laws) is slated to sing. Best known for her work as a jazz vocalist, her credits also include musical theater (including South Pacific, House of Flowers, and Candide) and opera (The Metropolitan Opera’s The Return). She starred in and co-wrote the Tony® nominated musical, It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues. She is also the recipient of the Cherry Blossom Award from the Tokyo Music Festival.

Also appearing on June 24: dancer Juli Kim and actor-writer Alina Cenal.

   

 Adilah Barnes is executive producer and co-founder. This performance is made possible in part by a Culver City Performing Arts Grant with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Tickets for the performance are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Industry (with valid I.D.), seniors and students, $18.

Reservations: (818) 760-0408. Online reservations are available at http://www.lawtf.org or https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3444959

**Photo of Freda Payne courtesy of Freda Payne. Other photos courtesy of Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival.

Pasadena Playhouse Centennial Celebration Block Party Set For June 9

Pasadena Playhouse – State Theatre of California is announcing more entertainment and participants for the Playhouse Block Party, the theatre’s Centennial celebration in partnership with the Playhouse District Association.  This all-day event, free to the public, is from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 9 on El Molino Ave. at Colorado Blvd.  There will be more than twenty performances on two different stages – a Main Stage and a Kids’ Stage -- during the course of the day, in addition to activity booths hosted by some of Pasadena’s most celebrated arts organizations, theatre tours, a silent disco, and more.

Performances will include Culture Clash (presenting Bordertown Now at the Playhouse May 30 – June 24), Athletic Garage Dance Center, Ballet Folklorico Quetzal, Blue13 Dance Company, Bob Baker Marionettes, Creating Arts Company, Los Angeles College of Music, Makoto Taiko, Nine O’Clock Players, Pasadena City College Theatre & Opera, PCDA (Professional Child Development Associates) Youth Choir, Pasadena Civic Ballet & Musical Theatre, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Pasadena Dance Theatre, Pasadena Master Chorale, and School of Rock Pasadena.  The evening will end with headliner bands California Feetwarmers, Caught A Ghost, and Boogaloo Assassins.  A full schedule of events can be found at www.playhouseblockparty.org.

Throughout the day, guests can experience interactive and immersive activity booths and games created by community partners and local art organizations.  These include Kidspace Children’s Museum, Armory for the Arts, Metaforyou, MUSE/IQUE, Pasadena Dance Theatre, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Symphony & POPS, Pasadena Walking Tours, Rogue Artists Ensemble, Shumel Arts Council, Side Street Projects, Sierra Madre Playhouse, Akabeko Project, Surrogate Gallery Projects, and USC Pacific Asia Museum.  In addition, special guided tours of the Playhouse District and of the Playhouse itself will be available, including backstage access and production departments, rarely seen by the public.

Midway through the day, producing artistic director Danny Feldman will take the stage with Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek and other community leaders for a short presentation to honor the legacy of the Pasadena Playhouse, the second oldest regional theatre in the country.

Pasadena Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman said, “Our team has assembled all things Pasadena for our block party -- live music and performances on two outdoor stages, interactive exhibits, food, libations, guided tours, and much, much more.  Beginning at noon, families can enjoy activities in the Kids’ Zone centered around a stage erected in the Playhouse Courtyard. In the late afternoon and early evening, the focus will shift to a “street party” feel with live music and bands, food, drink, and more fun.”

He continued, “We wouldn't be here today without the support of our community. Since our founding in 1917, we have been fortunate to be supported by the people of Southern California, a community that truly values the power of theater. For our Centennial celebration, we wanted to throw a free party for thousands of people to say thank you."

Playhouse District Association Executive Director Brian Wallace said, “Our partnership with Pasadena Playhouse reflects what is great about our community – the drive to promote the Playhouse District as Pasadena’s home for arts and culture. We are excited to welcome everyone to enjoy what’s great about this area and hope the event encourages many repeat visits to all of our great destinations here.”
About the Centennial of Pasadena Playhouse

Pasadena Playhouse, one of the most prolific theaters in American history with a legacy of profound theatrical impact and courageous new work, is celebrating its Centennial with this Block Party in partnership with the Playhouse District Association.

Three significant anniversaries are observed concurrently. The Centennial; the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Playhouse College of Theatre Arts; and the 80th year of the Playhouse’s designation as the official State Theatre of California. These milestones point to the importance of Pasadena Playhouse in the chronicles of American theatre, with very few, if any, professional theatres in this country able to claim similar distinctions of history, impact and longevity. Such a powerful pedigree is now considered against the context of producing live theatre with the modern, digital era as the backdrop for a second century.

Pasadena Playhouse is one of the most prolific drama-producing organizations in the history of American theater, having commissioned over 550 new works, produced upwards of 1,200 shows, spearheaded over 500 world premieres, developed several shows that went on to Broadway, and welcomed more than one million audience members. 

As a community center, it has been the recipient of well over a million hours of service by more than 12,000 volunteers.  The well known Friends of the Pasadena Playhouse has been instrumental in the running of the theatre both backstage, front of house, and administratively.  For more than thirty years, Pasadena Playhouse ran a famed and fully accredited college -- more than 30,000 students received arts education and access programs.

In 2016, longtime artistic director Sheldon Epps ended his tenure. Today it continues that tradition of excellence under the helm of producing artistic director Danny Feldman. Dedicated to enriching lives through theater, community programs, and learning initiatives, Pasadena Playhouse is a living force in the community.

About the Playhouse District Association

The Playhouse District Association (PDA) carries out a mission to promote the economic vitality of the Playhouse District as the center of culture, commerce, and community in the heart of Pasadena. Formed as a non-profit corporation in 1995 dedicated to marketing Pasadena’s Playhouse District, the PDA began managing a Property-Based Business Improvement District (PBID) in 2001. The PBID pools private dollars largely from property owner assessments in the 32-block Playhouse District area to fund enhanced activities and services. Governed by a quasi-public 11-member board of directors representing the district’s property owners, businesses and institutions, the PDA organizes its work into five program categories, each with a standing committee to guide and carry out activities and tasks focusing on a clean and engaging public realm, economic development, organizational resources, parking, and promotions / marketing.

 

Calendar Listing for Playhouse Block Party

Venue:                    El Molino Avenue at Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, CA 91101

Dates:                    Saturday, June 9 beginning at 12 p.m.

Tickets                    Event is free to the public

Information:            Online – Playhouseblockparty.org
                               By phone at 626-356-7529

Gunn Forms The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra

To grasp the purpose of trumpeter Russell Gunn’s newest creation, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, it’s important to understand that the alchemist’s recordings are cultural and historical amalgams as much as they are audacious musical experimentations rooted in jazz. His mission for the 19-piece Big Band slated to issue its debut album, “Get It How You Live” on the Ropeadope label on July 13, is to breathe new life into “traditional” jazz Big Bands by expanding its possibilities in the modern era. Adding voice to the collection produced by Gunn that incorporates all shades of jazz, R&B, pop, hip-hop, and funk is Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Dionne Farris.

Gunn, a two-time Grammy nominee for his far-reaching “Ethnomusicology Vol. 1” and “Ethnomusicology Vol. 2,” spent a year honing his vision and shaping The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra’s sound, composing originals and constructing thoughtful arrangements for more than thirty tunes. The ensemble’s lab was on stage during a long-running weekly residency at Atlanta’s St. James Live. Once fully realized, Gunn selected nine tunes for the debut disc.

“Most of the music on ‘Get It How You Live’ is original compositions that I felt were deserving of expansion into the grander format of a large jazz ensemble,” said Gunn, who grew up in East St. Louis.

Hard-hitting hip-hop beats bolstered by bombastic horns power Gunn’s “Sybil’s Blues,” which features trumpeter Theo Croker. His “Critic’s Song” bounces to a grinding go-go beat amidst cacophonic horn blasts that build towards a pummeling sax crescendo from Brian Hogans, who only yields the mic to the furious rhymes spit with vitriol by Dashill Smith. Gunn’s other standout composition on the session is the richly-melodic ballad “Lyne’s Joint,” which spotlights Melvin Jones’s trumpet.

“I am a melody-first musician and am drawn like a magnet to melody. That is why my favorite musicians of all time are Peter Tchaikovsky, Charles Mingus, and Benny Golson. Melody is king!” proclaimed Gunn.         

As for reboots, Farris’s hit “Hopeless” is given entirely new dimensions in a Big Band setting courtesy of Gunn’s deft arrangement. Drawn to the original’s soulful harmony, Gunn converts Shai’s vocal acapella hit, “If I Ever Fall In Love,” into an “acapella” trumpet and horn section meditation with haunting yet regal qualities. The rendition will be given visuals when a video is lensed later this month. Old-school R&B heads will rejoice over the three-part “Switch Medley” that Gunn masterminded by seamlessly fusing “There’ll Never Be,” “A Brighter Tomorrow” and “I Call Your Name.” The collection closes with the poignant “Ballad Of The Sad Young Men,” on which Farris elegantly delivers a stunning knockout performance.

       

Inherent in Gunn’s artistic muse is the message of being genuine and true, “owning” what you are and what you stand for. “The title of the album is the realist and most honest album title I have had since ‘Ethnomusicology Vol. 1.’ The laymen definition of ‘Get It How You Live’ loosely translates to ‘going about things in an honest fashion.’ I was on the front lines of the transition from the ‘Wyntonite’ sensibility of the ‘nouveau retro’ jazz musician to the jazz musician that grew up in hip-hop culture and I owned it. I can go as far to confidently say that I am primarily responsible for that shift. I say that not to give myself retroactive credit, but simply to say that I’ve been ‘Getting It How I Live’ for a long time.”

The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra is not the first time Gunn and Farris have collaborated. In 2013, they released “Dionne Get Your Gunn,” which is revisited on the new offering in the form of “Fair,” a bitter yet sultry, expansively-layered suite about a breakup penned by Farris.  

Gunn concludes, “The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra is my greatest achievement to date. I am proud to carry the torch of the great Big Bands into the modern era. I consider it a huge responsibility to represent the lineage of Big Band leaders like Fletcher Henderson, Jimmy Lunceford, Count Basie and the king of all, Sir Duke (Ellington), in a way that pays homage to the tradition while expanding the possibilities.”

The songs contained on “Get It How You Live” are:

“Get It How You Live (Intro)”

“Sybil’s Blues (featuring Theo Croker)”

“If I Ever Fall In Love”

“Fair”

“The Critic’s Song”

“Hopeless”

“Lyne’s Joint”

“Switch Medley” comprised of “There’ll Never Be,” “A Brighter Tomorrow” and “I Call Your Name”

“Ballad Of The Sad Young Men”

For more information, please visit www.RussellGunn.FourFour.com.

A REVIEW: 'Soft Power' Plays It Hard and Fast

Courtesy of Craig Schwartz

Conrad Ricamora, center, and cast in Soft Power

By Darlene Donloe

Either I went to a play and a musical broke out, or I went to a musical and a play broke out.  Then again, maybe I went to a political rally and a love story broke out. Or, possibly, I was watching a love story and a political rally broke out. Or, I went to a play about racism and a socio-political civics lesson broke out. Or, perhaps, it was all of the above.

The production is Soft Power, an original musical by Tony Award-winners David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori, which recently made its world premiere at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles.

Soft Power is a social and cerebral influence, but it is also a bold mish mash – a satirical hodge-podge of vibrant insanity that somehow rights itself when presenting pragmatism in the most madcap of scenarios. It’s kind of a throwback to the Golden Age of the Broadway musical.

Conrad Ricamora (How To Get Away With Murder) plays a Chinese executive named Xue Xing, who flies to America to do business. He meets and hires DHH, (Francis Jue) a Chinese American television writer. DHH’s mission is to create an American television series set in Shanghai.

Xue wants the writer to present only the best of Shanghai. He rebukes anything negative.  He even has a problem with the writer referring to the term, “good air quality” because someone might think Shanghai has “bad air quality.”

HHD and Xue go to a 2016 fund-raiser where Xue meets Hillary Clinton and is immediately enthralled.  Xue, who has fallen hard for Mrs. Clinton, decides to help bring America back from the brink of war.

Although the show is loosely about the 2016 election, the name of the current president is never uttered. NEVER!  So it won’t be uttered here either!

As evidenced by this review’s opening paragraph - there is a lot happening in this show.  A lot!  It tries to address many of the world’s troubles in two acts. That’s a lot to cram into two acts. But what it does manage to accomplish is brilliant!

One could never imagine seeing a Hillary Clinton riding onto the stage on a Big Mac while singing, “I’m With Her.”  Next, we see her character in a Wonder Woman costume twerking on a giant hamburger under McDonald’s neon golden arches.  Then there is Clinton hysterically trying to learn Mandarin. And, let's not forget the White House made of beer cans in a political fantasy where East meets West.

After the election, Clinton pigs out on ice cream and pizza.   We then see Clinton and Xue taking a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge while they sing, Happy Enough, which signals a merging theme between China and the U.S.

Hwang (Yellow Face, Chinglish), a big fan of The King and I, wanted to do something to pay homage to the show. He pays homage to the production in several ways, including incorporating that classic waltz that happened, in the movie version, between Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.

There’s so much to talk about regarding this production – that it would take way too many words.

The play, fabulously directed, is all over the place, but so are the subjects and issues that are addressed.

Soft Power is a great night of theater.

Soft Power, directed by Leigh Silverman, stars Billy Bustamante, Kara Guy, Jon Hoche, Kendyl Ito, Francis Jue, Austin Ku, Raymond J. Lee, Alyse Alan Louis, Jaygee Macapugay, Daniel May, Paul HeeSang Miller, Kristen Faith Oei, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Geena Quintos, Conrad Ricamora, Trevor Salter and Emily Stillings.

Soft Power is presented by Center Theatre Group in association with East West Players and the Curran, with book and lyrics by David Henry Hwang, music and additional lyrics by Jeanine Tesori, set design by David Zinn, costume design by Anita Yavich, lighting design by Mark Barton, sound design by Kai Harada, music directed by David O and choreography by Sam Pinkleton.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and e (excellent), Soft Power gets an O (oh, yeah).

***

Soft Power, Ahmanson Theater, Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012, Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m., through June 10. No Monday performances.  Exceptions: Added 2 p.m. performances on Thursday, June 7.  No 6:30 p.m. performance on Sunday, June 10; $30 – $130 (Ticket prices are subject to change.) Tickets are available online at CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Audience Services at (213) 972-4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office. Groups: (213) 972-7231. Deaf community: Information and charge, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/ACCESS.