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ROYAL OAK — Stagecrafters is bringing the heat of rural 1900s Georgia in its production of “The Color Purple” to the main stage of the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette Ave.
The story focuses on Celie, an African American woman who is learning who she is after suffering abuse at the hands of her father and husband and getting her children taken away from her.
The show will play throughout the month of January on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Opening night will take place at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10.
The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays with the final show taking place at 2 p.m. Jan. 26.
“The first night is going to be extremely energetic, because the cast really wants to have an audience right now,” Director Jerry Haines said. “We want to tell the story, we want to tell the Celie story, and we want to tell it in an honest way.”
Haines said that the show is ultimately a love story and hopes that the audience can relate to the characters on the stage.
“Hopefully the audience will be drawn in and feel what she is feeling, feel what all of the characters are feeling, and walk away with a feeling of hope, a feeling of victory, feelings of redemption, and a feeling of love,” Haines said.
Stagecrafters actors and Haines have been working on the show since September, according to Haines, and throughout the process he said that the crew has worked together well.
“When you do a show like this, people naturally come together as a family,” he said. “There was just something special and dynamic about them (the cast), not to mention the incredible talent on stage.”
Experienced actress Terri Manning has been cast as “Shug Avery,” a bold and vivacious blues singer.
“Shug is absolutely the part I wanted. It is the main part I auditioned for,” Manning said. “This is the part I knew I could do and that I felt most comfortable with. In some ways I relate to her boldness, and her sassiness I really liked.”
Manning has a deep connection with the production of “The Color Purple” and said that she saw it on Broadway in 2016. Since she saw the production, she was hooked.
“There are so many different genres of music within the show that are covered throughout Celie’s journey in the show, and it’s just the music that pulls you in,” she said. “That’s the main reason I auditioned for the show after seeing it. I mean, I listen to the music almost daily, and I became pretty obsessed with it and I knew I wanted to be a part of it someday.”
To prepare for this role, Manning said she studied the show and actress Heather Hadley’s version of Shug Avery.
“I have loved her for years, so I watched her, I studied her. I knew for a fact that this is the part I wanted,” she said. “It’s a surreal experience. It is a show that I have worked the hardest on since doing shows with Stagecrafters. I am so excited about it.”
Manning hopes that when people come out to the show, they can experience what she did when she saw it on Broadway and feel that sense of connection to the characters.
“I hope everyone can see themselves in the story. While it focuses on an African American woman and her life and her experiences, as well as the two other main women in the show, it is a story about growth and about change and learning about yourself,” she said. “Ultimately, it’s a story about love, and I think it’s a story for everyone.”
For more information on “The Color Purple” and to purchase tickets, visit stagecrafters.org.
