Gary Griffin. Image courtesy of David Rosenberg______
Whoever would have thought, when it was first published in 1982, that The Color Purple—an epistolary novel featuring a heroine as meekly innocent as a Dickens ingenue—would have come to establish its author, Alice Walker, as a major figure in African-American literature? That the subsequent Hollywood film, directed by Stephen Spielberg, would garner 11 Academy Award nominations? Or that the musical adaptation, opening on Broadway in 2005 under the high-profile sponsorship of Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones ( among others ) , would change the face of Manhattan's theater district, attracting playgoers in numbers and diversity hitherto unimagined?
The story recounts the trials of the girl we know only as Celie, mother of babies sired by her own stepfather—a domestic atrocity not unheard-of in isolated rural communities—and later married to a cold and distant husband of shadowy identity, who treats his wife as a servant, even before he brings home a mistress, the jaded Shug. But as these dissimilar women chafe under the cruelty of a society inhumane on multiple levels, Celie and Shug forge a friendship that enables them to triumph over suffering. Less fortunate is their friend, the forthright Sofia, whose indomitable spirit proves to be her downfall.
Several factors share responsibility for the sweeping success of this musical adaptation: the perspicacity of producer Scott Sanders in taking on the project; the pop-tinged score by Allee Willis, Stephen Bray, and Brenda Russell; and a marketing campaign that appeals directly to the mass-media demographic.
Surrounded by these dazzling luminaries, it's easy to overlook Gary Griffin, Color Purple's quiet, self-effacing director. Dubbed the 'miracle man' by one critic during the early 1990s, his production of Sunday in the Park With George at Chicago Shakespeare in 2003 brought him to the attention of Sanders, who promptly signed Griffin to helm The Color Purple's Broadway debut and, now, its first regional production, scheduled to open on May 3 at the Cadillac Palace.
Windy City Times: What earned you the 'miracle man' sobriquet was your practice of taking EVERY play seriously, no matter how flimsy its content or low its audience expectations. Where did you learn to do this?
Gary Griffin: It's not something you 'learn.' I love all forms of theatre and welcome the opportunity to experiment with all of them.
WCT: Your credits are almost equally divided between gritty dramas—Blade To The Heat in 1997, for example—and sentimental fluff such as The Sound Of Music. Which do you like doing better?
GG: I wouldn't call The Sound Of Music 'sentimental fluff.' The story is about people finding the courage to survive great changes in their worlds.
WCT: Musicals and dramas, then. Which do you find the more challenging?
GG: Both are challenging. The audience may be different for each individual piece, but I honestly don't have a preference because all these stories have a deeply intrinsic value, and I strive to explore that value. I loved directing both the shows you mention. [ Shrugs ] Sometimes it comes down to the 'cool' factor—Blade To The Heat is generally considered a 'cooler' show to do.
WCT: Not to go all ethnocentric on you, but you're—well, a WHITE guy. What attracted you to musicals featuring people of color, like Pacific Overtures and The Color Purple?
GG: I might be bored doing only shows about blond, brown-eyed midwestern gay guys. Seriously, I've discovered that once you get inside another world, you find that it isn't so far from your own. There's much more that connects us than divides us. That's what interests ME, and I believe it will interest others.
WCT: Still, when you did Sunday In The Park With George for Chicago Shakespeare, you cast Joseph Foronda as a Frenchman. Was there any kind of stir over that?
GG: No, no stir at all. I think all good casting is slightly off the nose. When you look outside the box, the stretch creates perspective, and THAT, in turn, makes for more clarity.
WCT: Speaking of which—has being gay yourself affected your career?
GG: I don't think it's made a difference in determining my career. We work from who we are and what we have. It has obviously been beneficial, since I take pride in myself, but I've never worn a 'gay director' label.
WCT: You're currently in rehearsals for the Chicago production of The Color Purple. How will this differ from the Broadway version?
GG: Revisiting the show has given me the opportunity to make hundreds of 'tweaks' and revisions that we didn't have time to do in New York. I think this one [ at the Cadillac Palace ] will be a very 'Chicago' production—muscular, passionate and full of soul.
WCT: This is the show that's supposed to have made the advertisers revise their notions regarding the composition of the average theatergoing audience. What progress do you think The Color Purple will represent in the grand scheme of American Theater?
GG: What a question! I think I'd need at least five years to answer that one properly.
WCT: What are your plans for the immediate future—or the distant future, for that matter?
GG: What would you like them to be? I'm doing Kismet in June for the English National Opera in London. And next season, Passion for Chicago Shakespeare, and two new musicals scheduled for major regional tryouts. As to my plans for the distant future, I'd like to do more plays.
The Color Purple runs at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, until July 22. Tickets are $28-$85 and are on sale at the Broadway In Chicago Box Offices ( 151 W. Randolph, 24 W. Randolph and 18 W. Monroe ) , Ticketmaster at 312-902-1400, online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers.
