The Tony award-winning Broadway musical The Color Purple arrives in Birmingham in an exciting new production.

The highly anticipated show, based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, is now playing at The Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 17 September.

Alice Walker’s remarkable coming-of-age book, which touches on themes such as domestic violence, female emancipation and identity, including the power of love overcoming hatred and selfishness, touched the hearts of millions of readers around the world when it was published in 1982.

Celia dares to stand up when her hopes and dreams are shattered — Celie dares to stand up when her hopes and dreams are suffocated in a male dominated world

The book was quickly added to English Literature syllabuses, and in 1985 it was turned into an emotionally-charged movie.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg (who won an Oscar for her performance), the powerful film introduced a whole new audience to the realistically crafted characters who populate Walker’s searing book.

Walker’s story is so vivid and raw that it inspired a Broadway musical in 2005, which garnered multiple award nominations. Oprah Winfrey, who also starred in Spielberg’s movie, is currently busy working on a feature film version of the Broadway musical which is due for release next year.

The powerful musical – book by Marsha Norman, with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray – arrives to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage in a stark production that focuses on the emotions at the heart of the story.

The set designs are spartan which allows the audience to focus on the human emotions — The set designs are sparse which allows the audience to focus on the human emotions

The coming-of-age story follows the tortured and traumatic life of an African-American woman named Celie who lives in the Deep South during the turn of the 20th century. The drama unfolds across the years and reveals the excruciating inner and external turmoil, including mental and physical cruelty, meted out to the sweet and gentle Celie who dreams of gaining independence in a society that views women as little more than property.

Across the span of four decades Celie learns to reclaim all the intricate pleasures and treasures of life that were stolen, or inhibited, by those around her.

Despite the daily anguish, hostilities, negativity and abuse that is hurled at Celie, she refrains from meeting hatred with hatred.

Her sublime and positive outlook on life leans towards forgiveness and mercy, and no matter how dark and oppressive her life becomes, she still searches for light and hope in a world that is consumed by greed, rage and lies.

The Color Purple empowers women to seize the chance to dream and dance

The delicate message of the show highlights the power of women to overcome heartache, humiliation and broken dreams – and the plague of toxic masculinity – by walking upon the beautiful paths of love and light which lead towards healing and the regeneration of the human soul.

The musical is packed with a score that lifts up the human spirit, with melodies that are at times soft and soothing and then epic and soaring. The songs, numbering almost 30 across Two Acts of the musical, are a combination of Gospel, Grassroots, Blues and Soul. The rhythm of the songs reflect the state of play inside each character.

The cast of this Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome co-production are so in tune with the flow of the music that there are moments where even the live orchestra becomes solemn as the performers on stage weave their singing voices directly into the subtle and nuanced notes of music wafting out from the orchestra pit.

The talented cast of The Color Purple bonded together seamlessly like a family

Me’sha Bryan is a tour de force in her portrayal of Celie. This is an artist who brings layers of meaning and purpose to the gentle character of Celie.

Bryan takes the audience on a journey of transformation, and she reveals the changes in Celie in subtle ways such as her voice becoming stronger and more confident as Celie matures and finds her inner strength to finally stand up and fight for her happiness in a male dominated existence.

Her lyrical performance and dramatic edge bring a deep emotional richness to the role of Celie.

In a world dominated by men, the women make a bold step and challenge society — In a world dominated by men, the women take a bold step and challenge society

Aaliyah Zhane (a spellbinding Nettie), Ahmed Hamad (a delightful Harpo), Anelisa Lamola (a stunning force of nature Sofia), Jimand Allotey (a memorable Squeak), Bree Smith (a perfectly tuned Shug), Esme Laudat (a pitch perfect Jarene), and Ako Mitchell (a nefarious and duplicitous Mister), including the rest of the naturally gifted ensemble cast, worked so well together that there was a genuine sense of a family spirit right across this superlative production.

Each cast member left an inedible mark, and they all had a distinctive stage presence. The graceful power and harmonious beauty of every individual, whether solo or in an ensemble, could be heard all around the Hippodrome’s vast auditorium.

The way each of the cast members played off each other, and supported each other, displayed a real warmth and a deep trust as the musical moved from the depths of darkness to the light of redemption.

The Color Purple is now playing at The Birmingham Hippodrome

The vast and sprawling show is kept tightly paced by director Tinuke Craig while the set designs by Alex Lowde – who also designed the costumes for the production – are primarily focused on the story and emotions rather than flooding the stage with unnecessary distractions which can sometimes overwhelm the fragile balance of a show such as this where human emotions are more important than visual spectacle and action.

Walker’s emotive book was written decades before the era of the #MeToo movement and its themes remain topical and continue to speak to people. The musical adaptation of the novel, so intimately brought to life on the epic stage of The Birmingham Hippodrome, brings a joyous charge that exhilarates and inspires.

This beautifully crafted musical is an uplifting and moving production that celebrates the power of the human spirit.