Raving reviews on The Color Purple from American composers
Last week American composers Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray added to the scores of people that were mesmerised and blown away by the performance of the South African produced musical, The Color Purple.
The trio have travelled from the United States expressly to see the performance of the highly acclaimed South African premiere production. Their interest in watching the musical was phenomenal because the trio received a Grammy award for The Color Purple as Best Musical Theatre Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards last year.
For the producer and all South African cast to receive such praise from the trio is quite an accomplishment. The excitement and appreciation of the trio was apparent from their reviews after they watched the show on Friday, 16th February 2018.
“Loved it, loved it, loved it. I cried within the first five minutes” said Russell. Russell also stated that the musical was “mind-blowing”. She appreciated the talented singers and great dancing that were part of the show. She also stated that it was incredible to watch the musical in South Africa as a significant part of the story is based in Africa.
Stephen Bray, who debuted in the Broadway scene with his production of The Color Purple was also in awe. He stated: “We have heard of South Africa’s vocal style before, so to have it applied to our musical was a dream come true”.
As the Member of the Mayoral Community responsible for oversight of the Joburg City Theatres, I am very proud of the leadership, management, and staff within the theatre that has created an environment for such productions to be created and showcased in one of our facilities.
I am also exceptionally proud of the producer and the cast who left their hearts on the floor, and brought many - including myself - to tears through their talent in singing and dancing. With talent like that, I can only say that Joburg must look forward to more productions such as The Color Purple.
The Nelson Mandela in the Joburg Theatre is a grand venue that has housed the kaleidoscopic people of this beautiful city, from ambassadors, to Mayors, and ordinary people who love the theatre.
It is a great achievement for the theatre as a venue, and the producers and actors to stage such a performance that attracts people within the industry from as far as America, and to blow them away in our own back yard. This will create avenues for South African productions to be invited in international stages to reach more audiences.
The season continues until Sunday March 4th, and tickets are from R240 for those that have not seen it.
Tickets are still available on 0861 670 670, or people can purchase the tickets online at www.joburgtheatre.com, or book in person at the Joburg Theatre box office. Theatre patrons can also book online and pay at selected Pick N Pay stores.
The Color Purple in South Africa is presented in association with M-Net, 702, Bona Magazine and RADA.
Issued by
Nonhlanhla Sifumba
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development
