Based on the novel “The Color Purple” by Alive Walker, the musical debuted on Broadway in late 2005. An inspirational story concerning race relations, personal struggle and one’s faith makes for an incredibly powerful and moving plot. The Color Purple isn’t your average Broadway play, it won’t leave you jumping for joy, and it won’t have you sitting on the edge of your seat, instead it will leave you deeply reflecting on what your beliefs are and how they affect your life.

The inception of The Color Purple occurred in 2004 with the play being worked on and pieced together by the actors, its debut on Broadway was a smashing success filling seats faster than expected. The reviews that came after were mixed; some characterized the play as phony, while others attested to the necessity of the characters acting. Moving past the critic’s response to the production, it not only recouped the 11 million spent to produce it, but has since made an additional 100 million with a little fewer than 1000 performances. The cast received their nod when it came to distributing and honoring the year’s new productions by receiving numerous awards and nominations, one of the most notable being the Tony award for best musical.

For anyone looking to view an incredibly spiritual and moving play, with music to match, The Color Purple has solidified itself as a shining example of what the theater arts can do.