The Color Purple Reviews

Washington Post- Recommended

"...It’s an engaging musical, though not one for the ages. Signature’s entry reliably offers the kind of polished, pleasing up-tempo numbers that get the pulse racing. But Marsha Norman’s exposition-laden book, seeking to hopscotch among so many of the narrative’s events and episodes, ends up feeling insubstantial: It skips along with the gloss of an opera libretto. Especially hard to swallow is the seemingly overnight transformation of the musical’s heavy, Mister — wonderfully sung by Torrey Linder — from abusive monster to reformed angel."

MetroWeekly- Highly Recommended

"...The royally enjoyable cast of Signature Theatre’s The Color Purple forges a chain of love with no weak links in Timothy Douglas’ knockout staging of the musical based on Alice Walker’s novel and the acclaimed 1985 motion picture."

BroadwayWorld- Highly Recommended

"...The ingredients of The Color Purple are not the stuff most musicals are made of: based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, its story includes devastating pain and suffering. But at its core, The Color Purple is a musical about survival, resilience, and healing. With direction by Timothy Douglas and music direction by Mark G. Meadows, Signature Theatre takes the show's life-affirming heartbeat to a joyful fever pitch with a beautifully executed production propelled by a truly exceptional cast."

Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended

"...Washington area stages, receiving one Helen Hayes Award (as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray) and five other nominations, but her volcanic performance as Celie in the Signature Theatre production of The Color Purple far surpasses them in both dramatic skill and sheer sustained intensity."

DC Theater Arts- Highly Recommended

"...The Color Purple is quite the closer for Signature Theatre’s return season. Directed by Timothy Douglas with choreography by Dane Figuroa Edidi and music direction by Mark G. Meadows, this production has earned its place as one of the best in the DC area. This is due in large part to the talented Black cast who bring the characters from Alice Walker’s classic 1982 novel to life."

Washington Informer- Highly Recommended

"...The production of “The Color Purple” says a whole lot. Audiences will not be disappointed."

MD Theatre Guide- Highly Recommended

"...Once again, Signature Theatre has proven its caliber with a pitch-perfect production of a beloved musical. A stellar cast carries the breathtaking score proudly and breathes new life into the well-loved story of a black woman's triumph over adversity. Getting a ticket to "The Color Purple" should be a high priority for any lovers of musical theatre, R&B, or the source material."

Theatrely- Highly Recommended

"...It will take searching, intelligent, and thoughtful retellings of The Color Purple, like the one seen at Signature Theatre, for the next generation to understand the power of this story in the first place. In her essay "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens," Alice Walker writes, "...our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not anonymously, handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see..." For so many Black families, The Color Purple is the seed passed between generations. It would be a shame if we didn't take care of it, and let it blossom once more. Who knows what-or who-might grow beside it."