Village Theatre connected with Director Timothy McCuen Piggee (Hello, Dolly!) to find out how he’s preparing for our soaring new production of The Color Purple.  

Village Theatre: Timothy, tell us about your history with the show. How were you first drawn to this story?

Timothy McCuen Piggee: My first recollection is when the novel was published in 1982. It was such a phenomenon. Then, when the Spielberg film came out in 1985, everyone was curious to see how it could be adapted. I still feel that the performances by Whoopi Goldberg and Margaret Avery, are some of the finest on film. 

I saw the revival in 2015, which is the script that we are licensed to perform. I think what those creators did in recentering that story on Celie by pairing down much of the spectacle in the original Broadway production, feels right and elegant.  

VT: How will The Color Purple resonate with audiences today? 

TMP: We are attracted to stories involving heroic lives. With Celie, there are many parallels—she’s Odysseus, she’s Oliver Twist, she’s Job, right? We all appreciate stories about individuals enduring remarkable circumstances and somehow, miraculously, they emerge from the story stronger than before. They have triumphed!  

But Celie isn’t alone. We also find inspiration in Shug Avery’s robust passion for life and Nellie’s pure, enduring love; and we witness Mister and Harpo develop a sense of awareness and a capacity to change. We need this story now—in working on this play, I’m choosing to shine the brightest light on the hope, resilience, and joy that is The Color Purple.

VT: Music is central to this show, with its Grammy Award-winning score infused with jazz, gospel, ragtime and the blues. What music are you listening to as you prepare to direct?  

TMP: I am blown away at the collaboration of Stephen Bray, Allee Willis and Brenda Russell, who created this score. They’re not traditional Broadway composers, they have given us popular songs like September and Boogie Wonderland from Earth, Wind and Fire; Madonna’s Angel and Into the Groove; or Olita Adams’ Get Here and Piano in the Dark— not traditional Broadway fare, but they have collaborated beautifully to highlight certain aspects of Alice Walker’s novel wonderfully.

VT: How do you hope audiences will feel after leaving a performance? 

TMP: I hope that people feel stirred, roused, activated to appreciate those things in our lives that seemingly go unnoticed or disregarded.  How do we acknowledge the abundance that is the gift of life? 

I also hope our audience will take away a more informed notion of God, and an appreciation for the people and things in our lives that go unnoticed and under-appreciated. That Celie is speaking to them!