Charlotte production of ‘The Color Purple’ May 8-24

THEATRE CHARLOTTE

The cast of Theatre Charlotte's production of "The Color Purple," May 8-24 at 501 Queens Road.

“The Color Purple” still resonates today.

Theatre Charlotte is bringing Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to the stage May 8-24 at 501 Queens Road. Tickets are $34 for adults, $28 for seniors and $20 for students, with some performances already sold out. Showtimes, special events and tickets are available at theatrecharlotte.org/purple. 

In this production, director Corey Mitchell focuses on the interpersonal relationships in Alice Walker’s novel. In this musical adaptation, Mitchell’s approach is about respecting the text.

“The original tagline on the show was a musical about love and looking around in this environment right now I could definitely say that we need a lot more love going on,” Mitchell said. “To explore these relationships and to come back to this story that's about resilience, joy and culture, it's done my soul well.”

In “The Color Purple,” the audience follows Celie, who finds her voice and becomes liberated to escape an oppressive life filled with abuse and discrimination. For Mitchell, portraying the story with honesty means seeing the Black experience more fully.

“I would parallel that a lot with things within my own family and ask them about how these things translate within their families,” he said. “Who the caretakers are, how that came to be and what are the family secrets which was the whole reason why Alice Walker wrote this book to begin with.”

Mitchell said putting stories like this on stage is important because it reminds audiences about the connection between the past and present.

“This is not something our ancestors have not seen,” Mitchell said. “The love of God, the love of community and the love of helping each other, just love in general. That is the thing that will always endure and that will help us get through.” 

The director wanted to pay tribute to the original source material and hopes audiences will appreciate the theater’s attention to detail, especially fans of the novel, who may notice Easter eggs throughout the performance.

Mitchell shared that working with a team of Black multigenerational professionals is about appreciating and presenting something bigger than themselves to the city.

“This isn't just another musical,” he said. “This is a cultural touchstone for a lot of Black folks.” 

Comments