Alice Walker's novel
The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize, but not everyone has been a fan. Some men claimed that it was an assault on the image of the black male. PBS journalist Tony Brown called Steven Spielberg's 1985 adaptation the "most anti-black family film of the modern film era." A central lesbian relationship in the book also drew fire. But Walker's story has endured, and it remains more real than Terry McMillan's
How Stella Got Her Groove Back and slightly less depressing than Toni Morrison's
Beloved. The third national tour of the stage production of
The Color Purple comes to Yardley Hall (12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, 913-469-4445) for one performance. Directed by Gary Griffin, the musical tells the tale of Celie, a woman who is held down by years of male oppression but eventually finds salvation through forgiveness. Tickets cost $40-$50. See
jccc.edu/performing-arts-series or call the box office. The show starts at 8 p.m.
$40, $50
816-753-5207
