After a rousing opening ("Mysterious Ways"), The Color Purple moves along capably enough, telling its now-famous Cinderella story via gospelly pop and showtuney jazz-blues. Everybody sings just great (and Renee Elise Goldsberry, as Celie's exiled sister, is a find), and there are times when the musical perks up with real Broadway gusto (e.g., Harpo and Sophie's duet, "Any Little Thing," which surprises with each new verse). But truth be told, most of Purple is a bland bore. Its central figure, though played by the ever-sympathetic LaChanze, stays passive until well into the second act, and the whole structure feels oddly imbalanced, leading to a lot of watch-glancing once Celie makes her break.
Whatever the flaws of his movie version, Spielberg found an epic scope in this material that the musical just doesn't unlock. Call it The Color Tan.
