This week, my lens is purple

I saw The Color Purple this weekend at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center. The musical was adapted from Alice Walker's novel, and it was fantastic! Such a change from Broadway's typical boy-meets-girl-and-rescues-girl-from-war/overdominating father/tyrannical lover/crazed phantom theme. Instead, the show was populated by women with complex lives, who explore the limits of their strengths and ultimately choose their destinies.

A sampling of memorable moments:

--Miss Millie, a white woman, asks Sophia, a black woman, to care for her children. Sophia responds with a memorable, "Hell, no!"

--The cast engages in a not-so-subtle suggestive song in praise of female sexuality, "Push the Button."

--Celie refuses to continue to submit to Mister's abuse. Her revolution is symbolized by her new industry: a pants-making shop. Now we know who wears the pants in the family!

It's rare to see a show that features women in nearly every role. Even the orchestra conductor was female! I couldn't help but wonder if this was one of the reasons why the theater was only about 3/4 full for a Saturday night performance and why the run-length for this performance was only a month. Do people subconsciously think of a musical written and acted by women as a "women's" musical?

When considering issues of gender, it's also important to look at the intersecting oppressions of race and class. Despite the fact that The Color Purple consisted of an entirely African American cast, the audience was mostly Caucasian. With ticket prices starting at $28, this is likely related to class and access.

It's difficult to alter the status quo when audiences seem to demand the status quo. The Color Purple was empowering to women, particularly black women.

But who was watching?