The tragic and touching story of The Color Purple took its time reaching the stage. Originally written as a novel by Alice Walker in 1982, it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983, and Stephen Spielberg first produced a film adaptation of the story in 1985. It took 20 more years for the work to appear on Broadway in 2005 and took until this month to make its way to the popular theater the SpeakEasy Stage Company in Boston.

Not only did the SpeakEasy production's Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault choose to include The Color Purple in this season at SpeakEasy, but he also opted to direct it himself, an unusual choice. "I have always been drawn to stories about 'the other,' the person on the outside who is longing to find their way in," he wrote in his director's note. In this case, "the other" is the show's main character, Celie. The musical starts when she is a teenager and ends 40 years later. In the first scenes, Celie has her second child at 14, but her father, who is also the father of the child, quickly takes him away. Celie is then married off to Mister, a cruel and abusive man who is quick to remind Celie that she is ugly and worthless. The rest of the play revolves around her life in his house and the people she forms relationships with along the way.

This particular production excelled in many aspects, but also faltered with some directorial and technical features. The cast was spectacularly talented; their powerful, soulful voices filled the theater while their comical yet sincere acting held the attention of the audience. The women who played Celie (Lovely Hoffman), Nettie (Aubin Wise), Shug Avery (Crystin Gilmore) and Sofia (Valerie Houston) stood out as the best performers, bringing heart and emotional beauty to each moment they were on stage. However, some of the positioning of the actors was clumsy, especially the stage combat, which failed to convince the audience of a real fight. The set design consisted of a giant tree, which sat stage left. Its branches reached above the proscenium and its roots spread over the stage and draped into the pit. Although the tree was used well, it seemed difficult for the actors to move around it at times.

The production's other design elements were not as questionable as the actor positioning. The costumes, which depicted the changing periods from 1919 to 1959, were as beautiful as they were functional, and their colors were vibrant. Scenic Designer Jenna McFarland Lord said during a talkback after the show, that "[a]s an artistic team, we were interested in those instances when 'color' does appear in Celie's world, and what that color represents to her." Bright colors, specifically purple, were not used in the costumes or lighting until the end of the show.

During the talkback, the audience raised concerns about the lightness of the play with the actors. The musical covers extremely serious topics, such as abuse, racism and incest, and some viewers were concerned that the musical did not treat them seriously enough.

Houstin and Gilmore, thought otherwise. "[The interpretation] depends on the director, the actors and the audience," said Gilmore in response to the comment, although she disagreed with their assessment. Houston claimed that it is "a story about rebirth," and since the plot spans over so much time, it is impossible to address every issue directly. Both agreed that the main focus of the story was on women. "All women have abuse," asserted Houston, "all women have a story." Both actresses stressed that the importance of the musical is that it could reach everyone, no matter what race, gender or age they were.

Although The Color Purple addresses serious matters, this production depicted the struggle of an abused and marginalized woman with integrity and hope. "It's heavier, but you get the chance to educate an audience," said Houston, "but it's not a black story. It's a human story played by black people."

The Color Purple is playing at the Boston Center for the Arts through Feb. 8.
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