As the calendar rolls into the festive season of 2023, movie enthusiasts and fans of the original book anticipate the arrival of a cinematic gem – the new movie adaptation of the beloved musical The Color Purple.
The highly anticipated release promises to captivate audiences with its powerful storytelling, exceptional cast, and a vibrant celebration of the human spirit.
The Color Purple started as an incredibly important book, and back in the ’80s, it was turned into an equally-as-meaningful movie. Years later, it found its way to Broadway as a musical (winning a Tony during its revival). Now, the musical version of the story is a movie once again.
Some will be unhappy to see that a large portion of the lesbian love story — which made this tale of particular interest to the LGBTQ community — has been removed from this version, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth seeing. For more of that, check out the other version of The Color Purple.
Before you head to theaters to see the film, let’s delve into everything you need to know.
What Is The Color Purple About?
The Color Purple is a poignant and emotionally charged tale that focuses on the life of Celie, an African American woman in the early twentieth century who has to endure incredible suffering, but who also finds love and happiness in unexpected places and ways.
Adapted from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the story unfolds against a backdrop of racial and gender inequality, chronicling Celie’s journey from oppression to empowerment. With themes of sisterhood, love, and the enduring strength of the human spirit, The Color Purple is a timeless narrative that continues to resonate with audiences worldwide — and even find new people to reach as it continues to be adapted in new ways.
Who Are The Stars Of The Color Purple?
Leading the ensemble is the incomparable Fantasia Barrino, one of the former winners of American Idol. The Grammy-winning singer takes on the main role of Celie, and she does so beautifully. Alongside Barrino, the film also stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., and even the Little Mermaid herself, Halle Bailey.
When Is The Color Purple’s Release Date?
The musical film The Color Purple will officially be released to theaters nationwide on Christmas Day — December 25, 2023.
Where Is The Color Purple Streaming?
Since The Color Purple hasn’t even been released to theaters just yet, it doesn’t have a home on any streaming platform. Warner Bros. is the distributor, so chances are good it will land on HBO and Max.
Steven Spielberg’s 1985 movie is currently streaming on Max, and is available for purchase or rental through Vudu, iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.
Who Worked On The Color Purple?
The Color Purple was directed by the brilliant Blitz Bazawule, a Ghanaian talent who is very much on the rise in Hollywood. He is perhaps best known for directing Beyoncé’s Black Is King, for which he earned a Grammy nomination.
The movie was produced by some of the top heavyweights in the entertainment industry, including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders, and Quincy Jones — many of whom were involved in the original film as well. The movie’s screenplay was penned by Marcus Gardley.
For most seniors, the golden years mean retirement, relaxation, and a slower pace. André De Shields is not that kind of senior. The multi-hyphenate performer even coined his own term -- "wellderly" -- to describe "old people who are still kickin' ass."
De Shields is certainly walking the talk. He won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his electrifying turn as Hermes in the Broadway hit Hadestown, followed a year later by a Grammy for the cast recording. The actor has been a fixture on Broadway since his debut in the early seventies. After a few short-lived flops, he broke through as the title character in The Wiz and later starred in the now-legendary Ain't Misbehavin'.
Everyone is entitled their own opinion, but is everyone entitled to their opinion of your opinion? Furthermore, is your opinion a reflection of who you are in a greater scope as a person?
Those questions lie at the heart of Art, a starry play on Broadway that has been revived since its initial 1998 run, for which it won a Tony. Back then, it starred Alan Alda, Victor Garber, and Alfred Molina. Now, Neil Patrick Harris, Bobby Cannavale, and James Corden step into the work from French playwright Yasmina Reza, translated from its original language by Christopher Hampton.
Even in our era of short-form entertainment, the 100-minute comedy feels much too long. It evolves around a trio of three longtime friends who debate a $300,000 painting. As Porky Pig so succinctly stated, "That's all, folks!" Much like an artist and their sycophants who believe that a pretentious artpiece is masterful, theatergoers will also delude themselves into thinking that they have witnessed a show of great import. In fairness, they aren't totally wrong. Art does have more to offer than what it offers at first blush.
December 8 will be a big day for Cheyenne Jackson. That's when he'll take to the fabled stage at Carnegie Hall -- with his mother.
"This is a little scoop," he confides during a recent Zoom call. "My mom and my sister are going to join me on stage, and we're going to sing a trio. We haven't sung together in years. My mom, who's a retired widow living in Southern California, is going to get a gown on, get her hair done. It's going to be a family affair, and I'm so honored they're doing it. It's going to be so emotional."
The show, which Jackson says will feature "an incredible set list -- it's daunting, it's challenging," is deeply personal, reflecting "a lot of themes that come from my life."
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