the color purple

sue...with jazz hands!  (or just "hand")

for sue's birthday this year, i took her to see the color purple on broadway starring fantasia barrino — or simply "fantasia" as she is now known. 

sue and i both watched ms. barrino's ascension to fame on season three of american idol, although sue was on board the fantasia train much earlier on than i was.  by season's end, fantasia had won me over and i was elated when she emerged the victor.  however, when i heard she'd be stepping into the lead role of this show, i was extremely skeptical.  sure, she can sing, i thought, but could she act?  and how would she hold up six or even eight shows a week?

boy, was i wrong to doubt.

(photo credit: sara krulwich/the new york times)

granted, i'm a sap for this story — the movie always makes me cry.  still, i figured i'd be inoculated by the fact that i was thinking to myself, "i'm watching fantasia barrino, i'm watching fantasia barrino" while i was...well, watching fantasia barrino. 

even so, at the very end of the first act, when fantasia, as celie, shouts for joy at discovering that nettie is still alive, i burst into tears.  the curtain came down, the house lights came up, and i turned to sue — she was bawling, too.  and then we both started to laugh at how ridiculous we were.

seriously, though, we were completely caught off-guard by how incredibly sincere and genuinely moving fantasia's performance turned out to be.  she's really good!  i would definitely recommend everyone see her in this show before she leaves in october if you get the chance.  just fabulous!

Posted by jason at July 13, 2007 07:30 AM