Westcoast Troupe sees 'Purple' for season opening musical

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Actors sometimes take roles just for the paychecks they offer, but then there are shows like “The Color Purple” that provide a salary along with an emotionally resonant experience on stage.

Apphia Campbell, a founding member of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, returns to star as Ceilie in the musical version of "The Color Purple," which opens the company's 16th season. DON DALY PHOTO/PROVIDED BY WBTT

Apphia Campbell, a founding member of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, returns to star as Ceilie in the musical version of "The Color Purple," which opens the company's 16th season. DON DALY PHOTO/PROVIDED BY WBTT

“I just love what it’s about and what it has to say,” said James Harkness, who is directing and choreographing the musical that opens the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s 16th season. “It’s about taking that journey and learning to accept the things that come into your path. Sometimes things come into your path for good and sometimes for bad, but you have to learn how to accept those things so you can understand the growth. You can’t know what a good day is if you never have a bad day.”

The musical has been an important part of Harkness’s life since he was cast in a tryout run at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in 2004. He was later in the ensemble of the show’s nearly three-year Broadway run. (He later was featured in Florida Studio Theatre’s 2012-13 production of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.")

“The Color Purple” has been inspiring people since author Alice Walker’s novel was published in 1982. It later became a much-praised film in 1985 with Whoopi Goldberg as a young woman named Celie, who suffers abuse and heartache for years before finding herself and her voice and discovering what happiness is and can be.

“I love the story of Celie. Aside from the journey and learning that she’s capable of standing on her own and making her own decisions, she also understands what love is, what passion is,” Harkness said. “We all want love in our life. We’re all looking for love in our life.”

James Harkness, who was featured in the Broadway production of "The Color Purple" is the director and choreography of the musical at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Photo Provided by WBTT

James Harkness, who was featured in the Broadway production of "The Color Purple" is the director and choreography of the musical at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Photo Provided by WBTT

Tarra Conner jones, the big-voiced singer who returns for her third Westcoast show, said “there’s something just very special that you can’t quite explain about the show. But when you’re in it, you feel it.” jones, who appeared last season in "“Black Nativity” and “Cotton Club Cabaret,” previously played the character of Sophia, Celie’s close friend, at the Alhambra Theatre in Jacksonville. She said a “change happens to you in the process of the show because it deals with the theme of love. In spite of rejection, in spite of abuse, in spite of the ugliness of that time, love came through all of that. It’s just really powerful to see and just to be in that moment and getting the opportunity to tell this story again.”

Apphia Campbell, a founding member of the Westcoast troupe, is looking forward to sharing such experiences as she returns home to Sarasota to play Celie, a part she won through an online audition that was both nerve-wracking and comforting.

“It was hard reading the scenes back and forth, trying to play off this actor over Skype, because there’s a pause and a delay so you can’t react as quickly,” Campbell said. “But it was nice not having the pressure of being in the room. I was relaxed in my living room and I could go into the character and take some risks that he was asking me to do. That was really nice.”

From left, Tierra A. Walker, Deidra Grace and Tarra Conner jones plays Church Ladies in "The Color Purple" at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. DON DALY PHOTO/PROVIDED BY WBTT

From left, Tierra A. Walker, Deidra Grace Chiverton and Tarra Conner jones play Church Ladies in "The Color Purple" at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. DON DALY PHOTO/PROVIDED BY WBTT

Celie is usually played in the musical by singers with big voices. Campbell admits she’s more of an “actor who sings. The show requires a bit more than just a singer. The character is very deep and I think that as long as you connect to the music, the music is written so well, it conveys the emotion, that’s what I really like to tap into.”

That’s her focus in her own shows, like her Nina Simone tribute “Black is the Color of My Voice,” which she presented at WBTT two years ago and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

“Conveying the emotion is the most important thing for me,” she said.

It was important to Harkness, too. “Apphia is a great actress, but not a powerhouse singer. I went through that struggle in the casting process. Do I find someone who is a powerhouse singer who can act the role or is the acting the most important thing? I’m actually quite pleased with how it’s worked out because it really requires a strong actress who sings very well.”

Campbell and jones share the stage with Demetria “Dee” Selmore as Celie’s friend, Sophia; Cecil Washington, Jr. as Celie’s husband, Mister; Joel Patrick King (seen last season in both “Spunk” and “Knock Me a Kiss) as Mister’s oldest son, Harpo, and Westcoast veteran Neyce Pierre as Shug Avery, the nightclub singer who changes Celie’s view of the world.

The cast also includes Khadijah Rolle, Earley Dean, Xylina Stamper, Martin Taylor, Tierra A. Walker, Deidra Grace Chiverton, Jeffery Cason, Chakara Rose, Kayla Aimable and DeVon Buchanan.

The musical features a book by playwright Marsha Norman and songs by big-name pop songwriters and producers Alee Willis, Stephen Bray and Brenda Russell.

Dametria Selmore as Sophia and Joel Patrick King as her husband, Harpo, in the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's production of "The Color Purple." DON DALY PHOTO/PROVIDED BY WBTT

Demetria "Dee" Selmore as Sophia and Joel Patrick King as her husband, Harpo, in the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's production of "The Color Purple." DON DALY PHOTO/PROVIDED BY WBTT

With a cast of 16, the musical will be one of the largest shows in the company’s history, though he has pared with the help of a simple set by Donna Buckalter “that fits the space but also has a few surprises.”

The production opens just a few weeks before a hit London version reopens on Broadway, with Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson as Shug.

Some, including Harkness, have wondered if it’s too soon for a Broadway revival, only seven years after the original closed. But he said he’s glad it’s back, both on Broadway and, for the first time, in Sarasota. “It’s an important, wonderful show and people should see it.”

THEATER PREVIEW
THE COLOR PURPLE
Runs Oct. 14-Nov. 21 at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1646 10th Way, Sarasota. Tickets are $38, $27 for students and active military. For more information: 366-1505; westcoastblacktheatre.org

THEATER PREVIEW
THE COLOR PURPLE
Runs Oct. 14-Nov. 21 at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1646 10th Way, Sarasota. Tickets are $38, $27 for students and active military. For more information: 366-1505; westcoastblacktheatre.org
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Jay Handelman

Jay Handelman is the theater and television critic for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He also is President of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association and a two-time past chairman of the association's executive committee. He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4931. Follow him at @jayhandelman on Twitter. Make sure to "Like" Arts Sarasota on Facebook for news and reviews of the arts.
Last modified: October 22, 2015
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