REVIEW: THE COLOR PURPLE (2023)

THE COLOR PURPLE - A lesson in connecting character arcs to theme. #SpoilerAlert

I have experienced every iteration of Miss Celie's story:

- The novel

- The film

- The Broadway Tour ft. Fantasia (at the Pantages in Los Angeles in 2009. Fun Fact: This was this show that reintroduced me to my love for musical theater. It's why I eventually quit my job as an exec at The Syfy Channel and became a touring, performing artist myself. ??)

- The Tony-award winning Broadway revival ft. Cynthia Erivo

Each iteration takes the epistolary novel of Celie writing letters to God and Nettie writing letters to Celie and turns them into strong vignettes throughout time as Celie learns to love herself, find joy, forgive, and trust God.?Because the story is told this way, you may find it hard to follow the structure. It leaps through time with a mostly inactive protagonist. So why does it work? ????

Though Celie has a clear external goal - to be reunited with her sister - it is her internal needs that we are tracking. We don't watch her try to do anything. Instead, we watch her grow with the introduction of each new female character.?

Celie not only feeds off of them, but they her. Their lights shine and dim at different hours, but ultimately, they would not have made it without each other. Which leads us to and through the theme of sisterhood. Each woman represents what Celie needs - fight (Sofia) and love (Shug), while Nettie represents them both.

Inactive protagonists don't often work. We want to see them trying to accomplish something. That's how they grow.? But, we're automatically invested in Celie as the underdog, so when her sister is ripped from her life, we want her to win. We stay because we're rooting for her to stand taller and taller until her feet are perfectly flat footed on the ground.

Let's track Celie: Click here to read the rest.

Author: Shannan E. Johnson