Latest news with #Celie
Chicago Tribune
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘The Color Purple' renews its Chicago welcome at the Goodman Theatre
Chicago loves Celie, Sofia and Shug Avery, and has embraced 'The Color Purple,' the 2005 Broadway musical based on both the beloved Alice Walker novel of strife, resilience and triumph in rural Georgia and the romantically hued Steven Spielberg movie for more than 20 years. So its warmly received return at the Goodman Theatre on Monday night felt very much like a well-fitting pair of Miss Celie's pants. The original Broadway production, directed by our own Gary Griffin and featuring our own Felicia P. Fields, opened its first national tour at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, staying for months in 2007; I remember watching Oprah Winfrey, a co-producer, go backstage in a heady era when the rise of Barack Obama was making Chicago feel like the epicenter of a hopeful world. The tour soon returned here, followed by a new tour of the 2015 Broadway revival, and then local stagings aplenty followed, at the Mercury Theater and the Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace, to name but two. I reviewed the pre-Broadway tryout of this show in Atlanta (where, improbably, it did not have an all-Black cast) and, all in all, I've seen the work of book writer Marsha Norman and songwriters Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray at least a dozen times. The great Willis, who co-wrote both 'September' and 'Boogie Wonderland' for Earth, Wind & Fire, died in 2019, although the Goodman Theatre program seems to think she is still alive. Only through her music, alas. That 2019 Drury Lane production was directed by Lili-Anne Brown, who also staged this show at the MUNY in St. Louis in 2022 and who is in charge again this summer on Dearborn Street. The Goodman's production uses much the same group of talent from that 2019 Drury Lane staging, including set designer Arnel Sancianco, costume designer Samantha C. Jones, music director Jermaine Hill and choreographer Breon Arzell and also many of the actors, including (among others) Gilbert Domally (as Harpo), Sean Blake (Ol Mister) and Nicole Michelle Haskins, who appeared both in Oakbrook Terrace and now downtown as Sofia. No wonder Brown brought back Haskins; she's a consummate, powerhouse Sofia. The newcomers are mostly Chicago-based and Chicago-raised talent, including Brittney Mack ('Six') as Celie, the former Black Ensemble Theater star Aerie Williams, a fine vocalist, as the Shug whom everybody loves, and Evan Tyrone Martin, ranging far from his wheelhouse as Mister, the abusive husband who eventually embraces redemption. It's fair to say that the Goodman staging uses a similar aesthetic palette as the prior suburban production, a presentational, relatively minimalist staging that keeps houses and cars off stage, suggests rather than builds a juke joint and wisely avoids bucolic, Spielberg-esque vistas of purple flowers. This matches the trajectory, really, of this particular musical, a show that has some structural limitations and has come to be be seen as most effective in a minimalist, almost concert-style staging, even though it started out very differently. After all, this is a musical based on an epistolary novel, driven by letters sent between Celie, trapped in an early 20th century world of impoverished Black hurt and her beloved Nettie (Shantel Renee Cribbs), driven away from that world in order to survive. For all the similarities, though, this is a vastly improved staging, filled with stellar singing and a more robust confidence. Over time, Brown and Hill clearly have figured out to deepen the mostly pop melodies in this score, a catchy and accessible song suite, to fit their vision of a more soulful interpretation, closer to the Black church than Top 40. And, this time, they have the singers who can follow through with their ideas. Mack's intensely focused performance suggests she long has been waiting for this particular role. She sings it superbly, which is no surprise, but her work in Act 1 is most striking in how intensely she captures the capturing of a wonderful young woman by a pair of brutally abusive men, and how she manifests the physical trauma that evokes. It's a rich and empathetic performance and it is, of course, key to the success of the production. I have my quibbles. The musical and dramatic tempos in Act 2 drag some and I don't care for how Sofia gets blocked by Celie for most audience members in the crucial dinner-table scene where she literally comes back to life by what both Walker and Norman imply is by the grace of God. I felt that way in 2019 and that scene is staged much the same. (I also still miss the much larger original orchestrations, although 'The Color Purple' now is often and effectively staged with eight musicians, as is the case at the Goodman.) But the heart of the show beats here with intensity. Martin has probably the hardest job on the stage and he's surely more comfortable with where Mister goes than where he begins. But he and Brown also don't shy away from the pain behind his journey. Mack and Haskins operate with great gravitas and, just as importantly, Brown always includes the audience in the storytelling, more than I've seen before with this title. And at least on opening night, the response proved that is the way to go with this show. Review: 'The Color Purple' (3.5 stars) When: Through Aug. 3 Where: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes Tickets: $33-$143 at 312-443-3800 and
Washington Post
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
What makes these 3 audiobooks so delightful? Their narrators.
Narrator Phil Dunster (who played soccer superstar Jamie Tartt in 'Ted Lasso') masters a large cast characters in Belinda Bauer's richly plotted mystery novel. The story centers on an esoteric but fascinating subject: the Guillemot egg, a pear-shaped and ruby-red egg that's laid by seabirds on rocky ledges. This unusual object connects the two plots of this multilayered tale. In one part, set in the 1920s and 30s, a ruthless egg trafficker crosses paths with a doughty woman named Celie who plucks the eggs from the Yorkshire cliffs. One of those eggs makes its way to the second part of the book, set in present-day Wales. Its discovery in an attic by a young boy named Nick and his friend, Patrick, has dramatic consequences. The novel's arcane subject, two dovetailing storylines, and the personality of the guillemot itself are engrossing, and as an audiobook, this novel truly excels. Dunster is a virtuoso of regional and class accents: Celie and friends are excellently Yorkshire in manner and tongue; the egg trafficker has the voice of a slick London operator and every utterance of his wealthy clients reeks of entitlement; and present-day Nick and Patrick are unmistakably Welsh. (Dreamscape, Unabridged, 8 ¼ hours) Narrator Phil Dunster (who played soccer superstar Jamie Tartt in 'Ted Lasso') masters a large cast characters in Belinda Bauer's richly plotted mystery novel. The story centers on an esoteric but fascinating subject: the Guillemot egg, a pear-shaped and ruby-red egg that's laid by seabirds on rocky ledges. This unusual object connects the two plots of this multilayered tale. In one part, set in the 1920s and 30s, a ruthless egg trafficker crosses paths with a doughty woman named Celie who plucks the eggs from the Yorkshire cliffs. One of those eggs makes its way to the second part of the book, set in present-day Wales. Its discovery in an attic by a young boy named Nick and his friend, Patrick, has dramatic consequences. The novel's arcane subject, two dovetailing storylines, and the personality of the guillemot itself are engrossing, and as an audiobook, this novel truly excels. Dunster is a virtuoso of regional and class accents: Celie and friends are excellently Yorkshire in manner and tongue; the egg trafficker has the voice of a slick London operator and every utterance of his wealthy clients reeks of entitlement; and present-day Nick and Patrick are unmistakably Welsh. (Dreamscape, Unabridged, 8 ¼ hours) Ashley Zhangazha's clear, serene narration beautifully captures the gracefulness of Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah's outstanding novel. Set in Gurnah's native Tanzania, the story follows the lives of Karim and Fauzia, who end up marrying each other, and Badar, something of an outcast and the person in whom we become most emotionally invested. Gurnah ambles along the paths of these lives — the leisurely pace allowing the listener to take in fully the world they inhabit. Although these generally tranquil periods are punctuated by short tense episodes, we begin to feel that the novel is pleasantly loitering. Until, that is, the last hour. And then we realize how our slowly acquired knowledge of these people gives depth and revelation to a dramatic crescendo. In his delivery, Zhangazha gives this culminating drama — a loosing of inner demons, severing of ties, a long-delayed union — all the passionate force it demands. (Penguin, Unabridged, 9 ¾ hours) Ashley Zhangazha's clear, serene narration beautifully captures the gracefulness of Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah's outstanding novel. Set in Gurnah's native Tanzania, the story follows the lives of Karim and Fauzia, who end up marrying each other, and Badar, something of an outcast and the person in whom we become most emotionally invested. Gurnah ambles along the paths of these lives — the leisurely pace allowing the listener to take in fully the world they inhabit. Although these generally tranquil periods are punctuated by short tense episodes, we begin to feel that the novel is pleasantly loitering. Until, that is, the last hour. And then we realize how our slowly acquired knowledge of these people gives depth and revelation to a dramatic crescendo. In his delivery, Zhangazha gives this culminating drama — a loosing of inner demons, severing of ties, a long-delayed union — all the passionate force it demands. (Penguin, Unabridged, 9 ¾ hours) Eunice Wong, who brought lighthearted brio to Jesse Q. Sutanto's entertaining mysteries starring Little-Old-Lady sleuth Vera Wong, transforms her delivery into a vector of introspective anguish in her narration of Jemimah Wei's debut novel. Set in Singapore from the 1990s to 2015, the book centers on Genevieve and her cousin, Arin, who was dumped on Genevieve's family because her own was destitute. The girls — Arin 7, Genevieve 8 — grow up together in a tiny one-bedroom flat with their grandmother and Genevieve's parents. Initial hostility between the girls evolves into mutual support and love — that is, until their own ambitions invade their relationship. Then misfortunes accumulate: Genevieve fails the exams necessary to enter university; Arin begins to come into her own. The novel becomes increasingly, even excruciatingly, intense and psychologically penetrating as Genevieve attempts to understand Arin's character and of her own. Love, pity, resentment, anger, sorrow, and guilt cycle through the story — and finally hope. (Random House, Unabridged, 13 ½ hours) Katherine A. Powers reviews audiobooks every month For The Washington Post. Eunice Wong, who brought lighthearted brio to Jesse Q. Sutanto's entertaining mysteries starring Little-Old-Lady sleuth Vera Wong, transforms her delivery into a vector of introspective anguish in her narration of Jemimah Wei's debut novel. Set in Singapore from the 1990s to 2015, the book centers on Genevieve and her cousin, Arin, who was dumped on Genevieve's family because her own was destitute. The girls — Arin 7, Genevieve 8 — grow up together in a tiny one-bedroom flat with their grandmother and Genevieve's parents. Initial hostility between the girls evolves into mutual support and love — that is, until their own ambitions invade their relationship. Then misfortunes accumulate: Genevieve fails the exams necessary to enter university; Arin begins to come into her own. The novel becomes increasingly, even excruciatingly, intense and psychologically penetrating as Genevieve attempts to understand Arin's character and of her own. Love, pity, resentment, anger, sorrow, and guilt cycle through the story — and finally hope. (Random House, Unabridged, 13 ½ hours) Katherine A. Powers reviews audiobooks every month For The Washington Post.
Wall Street Journal
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘The Impossible Thing' Review: A Cliffhanger of a Tale
The innocent victim in Belinda Bauer's novel 'The Impossible Thing' is, oddly enough, a bird. A guillemot, to be precise, whose looks are unremarkable but whose eggs can be astonishing. Sometimes brightly colored and decorated with spirals or loops, these natural jewels—found only on perilous heights where the birds roost—were long sought after by collectors. This is the story of 30 identical beauties, all laid by the same guillemot on the same Yorkshire cliff, which are repeatedly snatched and sold over the course of three decades. All of these prizes later vanish, including one particularly prized by wealthy egg-fanciers. Around the mystery of the fate of the so-called Metland Egg, Ms. Bauer constructs a multigenerational drama as captivating as the fabled object itself. Greed, love and obsession shape a plot rich in humor and suspense. It begins with a girl, 'pale as milk and skinny as a straw,' lowered on a rope to a cliff face, 'where the edge of England plunged three hundred sheer feet into the indigo depths.' The year is 1926 and Celie is poor, as are most 'climmers' who raid seabird eggs for a bare living. But she finds the treasure for which an aristocrat offers 50 pounds—not to her, but to the ruthless broker George Ambler. Yet George, for all his villainy, emerges as a complex character, as does Celie, her soulmate, Robert, and even minor figures in this Dickensian tale. Alongside Celie's story Ms. Bauer stages a present-day adventure. Its two young heroes, Nick and Patrick, are both convincing and unintentionally funny—Nick because he considers himself brilliant and Patrick because he is. Their escapade begins when a languishing Metland Egg is stolen from Nick's attic. Determined to retrieve it, the duo soon confront several egg-obsessed individuals, ranging from fanatical protectors to criminal hoarders. (Ownership of wild eggs became illegal in Britain in the early 1980s.) After one violent encounter, Nick, though cowed, insists that they 'shouldn't give up so easily.' Patrick, meanwhile, 'thought that easily sounded like the best way to give up.' Needless to say, they don't.
