The Rotorua Musical Theatre's latest production is The Color Purple. Photo / Tegan Hignett
The Rotorua Musical Theatre's latest production is The Color Purple. Photo / Tegan Hignett
The Color Purple Rotorua Musical Theatre Reviewed by Shauni James
The details - What: Rotorua Musical Theatre presents The Color Purple, The Musical - When: October 6 - - Where: Casablanca Theatre
The Rotorua Musical Theatre's The Color Purple production was a show full of emotions, toe-tapping, beautiful harmonies, laughs and even a few tears.
The Color Purple is an inspiring family saga that tells the unforgettable story of a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world.
This musical adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel spotlights Celie, a downtrodden young woman whose personal awakening over the course of 40 years forms the arc of this story.
On the show night I attended, Evar Thomas was playing the role of Celie.
She did an incredible job, taking the audience through the hardships, emotions and triumphs of Celie's story, all with amazing vocals and character portrayal.
Evar Thomas as Celie is The Color Purple. Photo / Tegan Hignett
Although his character was not the nicest of beings, LeRoi Kippen had an outstanding performance as Mister, commanding the stage and displaying incredible skill.
Another outstanding performance was Nanu as Sofia. She had the audience falling in love with her character and rooting for her throughout, with a number of 'woohoos' from the audience.
There were many great moments of chemistry and working together between actors in their roles, including Celie (Evar Thomas) and Nettie (Kahu Piripi) and Celie (Evar Thomas) and Shug (Te Awhina Kaiwai-Wanikau).
Nanu as Sofia and Frank Baker as Harpo also brought their chemistry back to the stage - something many had already seen in their dance for this year's Harcourts Dancing for Hospice.
It was great to see Frank back on stage and bringing his comedic traits to the role.
Te Awhina Kaiwai-Wanikau playing Shug, Kahu Piripi as Nettie, and Te Ao Tahana-Prangnell as Squeak were all amazing in their performances, portraying different emotions superbly through their acting and singing.
The character trio of Doris (Bobby Mihi Howard), Jarene (Rewa Ututaonga) and Darlene (Vicki Inia) worked together amazingly, bringing spectacular vocals and harmonies along with comedic moments the audience enjoyed.
The ensemble was fantastic, bringing even more talent, vibrancy and dimension to the stage.
The whole cast is a powerhouse of vocals with such amazing talent, and there were a number of vocal moments and breathtaking harmonies that brought goosebumps.
The music in this show takes you through the ups and downs of the story and hits you with every emotion, featuring jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music and blues.
The show features an array of costumes and settings. Photo / Tegan Hignett
The stage layout was unique and really helped to bring an immersive experience, also helping the cast to interact easily and often with the audience.
Also a massive props to Tina Lynn and the rest of the wardrobe team - the costumes were gorgeous and beautifully detailed.
A huge congratulations and round of applause to all the cast and crew, and of course to the creative team - director Ngahiriwa Rauhina, vocal director Dr Dan Ieremia, and choreographer Taiaroa Royal.
I am sure they are proud of how The Color Purple came to life on stage. It was a spectacular show and certainly one to remember.
