Polished. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of the New Broadway Recording of The Color Purple, which opened in theatres a few weeks ago. This revival holds an interesting place in 21st-century theatre musical history, being the first Broadway revival of a show which opened in this century (The Last Five Years had a revival but both opened Off-Broadway), and with only a decade between the two premieres the question of the new iteration of Purple’s significance is hard to avoid. It’s clear from the opening chords that this is not a recording that has come to creation lightly. There has been much care put into this.
Alice Walker’s tale of subjugated Celie’s journey to womanhood, emotional freedom, love and self-actualisation is one of the strongest female and black female experiences of American literature, and the musical’s score from Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray with its strong audience appeal has always tried to capture both the female and black aspects. The conceit of this new revival is a stripped down approach -- lighter, with a significantly smaller orchestra, both in size and variety (no violins, no violas, no trombones). This is a Purple heading back to its roots. It's something John Doyle has been known for and considering the visions of the sprawling original production, it's a strong departure from the fresh memories of the earlier production.
Luckily, this stripped down nature never becomes a liability to this recording. To be fair, it does not always work excellently, though. For example, it’s hard not to want more verve on production numbers like “Push Da Button” or “African Homeland”, but the producers know what they’re working towards. Celie is the critical centre of any Purple, and this recording's bareness is a benefit to its leading lady. Nowhere else does this work as well as on “Somebody Gonna Love You”. For the first few seconds the strains of the muted orchestra play until Cynthia Erivo’s voice disappears and the song becomes an a cappella number. This early moment of this sliver of a song (it barely goes over a minute) is one that’s most evocative of what works best about this new Purple. There is obvious thought put in here, and Erivo’s quiet emotiveness is striking. Her voice is tender, and a smaller orchestra makes for a more tender listening experience. Her "I'm Here", then, becomes less bombastic but more one of quiet, but inarguable, surety. It works.
Of course, Erivo's work is not the marquee on which this new recording, or new production, rests. The Color Purple signals the Broadway debut of Oscar winner/Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson. Her voice has matured in the nine years since her most noted work on Dreamgirls, and there is clear focus in work here (again, the polished care for the recording shines through). But, here, this polish becomes an issue. What Hudson lacks on key numbers is spontaneity. Vocally, her "Push Da Button", Shug's dance number, is strong and confident. She hits those notes well, but it never approaches the libidinous sensuality the song demands. Still, it's a great listen, low sensuality aside. Hudson, unfortunately, has the bad luck of having to sing the one song the recording does not quite manage well enough. “Too Beautiful for Words” is perhaps the score’s most intrinsically beautiful number, one of the theatre canon's most gorgeous songs, but here it feels slightly rushed. It's Shug's first song and the aggressive delivery seems at odds with the quietness of the lyrics. It’s a well sung song still searching for tenderness in delivery. I’m not sure if it’s the orchestration or Hudson who seems to be rushing more than caressing the words. Good for both Hudson and the recording that this is the only true misstep. And the later rousing duet “What About Love” reveals how great Hudson works as a singer with someone to play off her. Paired with Erivo her voice retains an emotional affect that it doesn’t in the earlier numbers. “What About Love” becomes a high point, earnestly sung and sincerely felt.
To round out the trio of women is Danielle Brooks. And as fantastic as Erivo is I will admit it is Brooks who emerges as the real find for me on the recording. "Hell No”, which appears early in the score, is her only moment to be singled out, but she delivers. The image of Sofia with her “All my life I had to fight” has become such a pop culture staple it’s easy to forget that Sofia is marked by her childishness and her vitality, and Brooks captures this. Her brashness and youth shine through as does her sensuality, making “Hell No” work for how dynamic it is. Even the fact that her voice occasionally gets too fond of biting her syllables informs the character in a way that makes this song uniquely hers. I had forgotten how this seemingly perfunctory number had such depth. "Let me take you away," Brooks croons to Celie as she makes her way off from Harpo after a domestic dispute. The female positive centre is strong here. And the men in Purple acquit themselves well (Kyle Scatliffe in particular has a fine voice). But this is a woman's trip.
Having a new recording of this score is a reminder that turning Alice Walker’s book into vibrant and nuanced musical theatre could not have been easy. Russell, Willis and Bray make fine use of African American folk music, musical theatre leitmotif and just regular good old power ballads. When the score finds its heights, or its “inner Shug essentially”, it pulses with vibrancy (on "Push Da Button"), feminism ("Hell No") and moving self-appreciation ("What About Love?", "I’m Here"). The fact that this new recording doesn’t hit seminal status is not a flaw of the score or even of this recording. Doyle and company are trying to do something different and the recording does it what it needs to. It’s hard not to finish the first few listens and think of all the roles Cynthia Erivo’s gorgeous voice should be belting. Or, all the big songs Danielle Brooks should be given the chance to sing. Yes, polished is the word here. It does drift into being studied and more deliberate than one would like. But with that polished nature comes a care in the production and earnestness that is ultimately charming enough to win you over.
The Color Purple New Broadway Cast Recording is now available from Broadway Records.
