|
The
story itself deals with sexual abuse, female sexuality,
promiscuity, betrayal, courage, self discovery, love,
family, spirituality, abandonment, heritage, and sisterhood.
The first time I saw the screenplay, my sister was alive
and I was much younger. Since the passing of my sister,
the movie has a much deeper meaning to me.
The
tragedy of the story is that Celie, the main character,
suffers from the continual rape by her father. She has two
children by her father that are sent away on the day of
their birth. Later, at the age of fourteen, Celie’s
father sends her off to marry a wealthy landowner who
continues to mentally and physically abuse her. In this
marriage, Celie is introduced to her husband’s mistress,
Shug Avery. It is at this point in her life that she first
explores and enjoys her sexuality with another woman. As
the story continues, Shug abandons Celie to start a
relationship with a teenage boy. Celie pleads with Shug
not to go, but Shug leaves anyway. It is at this very
moment that Celie comes to the realization that she doesn’t
need her husband to love her and she doesn’t need Shug
to love her. She sings in this scene about her sister and
her children loving her and about God loving her and
realizing that God is all she will ever need. It is one of the most powerful,
yet painful scenes that deals with doors opening and
closing in our lives. It shows you that people will always
come and go, and that is God’s will. After she accepts
this, her life begins to change. She leaves her husband,
she starts a business and her children come back home to
be with her. She finds peace in everything that God has
created for her. Celie explains the underlying meaning of The
Color Purple. "God gets pissed off when you walk
through a field and don’t notice the color purple,"
states Celie in the play. Celie understands that all
things God does, whether big or small, have a meaning and
hold beauty that we should never take for granted.
While
Celie deals with challenges in her relationships, Sophia,
another character in the play has her own struggles in
life. She is raised as a strong black woman, surrounded by
her very supportive sisters. In the way we ought to live
today, Sophia is the best example of what women should
live like. When she fought with her husband, her sisters
were there to lift her up rather than tear her down.
Her story is one of courage and never backing down or
letting anyone break you. She pays the price for her
courage, but at the end of the day, she still had her
dignity and self-respect. The most memorable scene for
Sophia in the entire musical is a scene titled "HELL
NO". This scene pays respect and homage to all women
around the world. It is my favorite scene.
In
addition to viewing the musical, there is much to do ...
from shopping, dining, recreation, site seeing, to club
hopping. You name it, it’s all there for you. This
musical would be an excellent Mother's Day gift to your
mom, wife or sister. There are over 24,000 restaurants in
New York. It is best to get recommendations on where to eat and the best
hotel to stay. My picks include:
Serendipity
– Well known for their Frozen Hot Chocolate and Milk
Shakes (2-hour wait; if you know a couple of tricks only
wait 5 minutes)
B.
Smith – A well Known Black Model from back in
the day. She own’s a restaurant in Washington D.C. (a
little more popular in DC) and a second Location New York.
The food is average, but the experience of being around
successful black new Yorkers is worth the visit alone.
Stage
Deli – There’s a couple of deli’s
with similar names, just go to STAGE DELI…it’s off the
chain.
The W Hotel in Times Square - very
hip crowd ($275/night - party pleasure and in the center of
everything).
The Waldolf Astoria - located at
Park and 3rd for the mature, business crowd (anything you
want, they have it!).
While
in New York make sure to visit the following spots: Harlem,
Trump
Tower, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ground
Zero. If you are visiting for more than three days, you can
take the Amtrak train and visit Philadelphia for the day. In
Philadelphia, stop by the Liberty Bell and learn about its
role in the abolition of slavery. Across the street from the
Liberty Bell, is Independence Hall, where inside you can
tour and also view The Declaration of Independence.
Definitely make sure you stop by Pat’s or Geno’s for a
Philly cheese steak and cheese fries. The finaly of our trip to New York,
and highly recommended, was having a champagne toast at the
top of the Empire State Building at 12 midnight (but dress
warm because it is extremely cold).
|
