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Flashback: Look Back at THE COLOR PURPLE's Opening Night!
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Oct 29, 2022
She's beautiful, and she's here! Today, January 8th, marks the birthday of Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo! To celebrate the powerhouse performer's special day, we're looking back at the opening night of her Broadway debut in The Color Purple! Check out the video to see Cynthia alongside Jennifer Hudson, Danielle Brooks, and more bringing the beloved show back to the Great White Way!
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0:00
Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. The musical The Color Purple is back on Broadway and it's three leading ladies, Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo and Danielle Brooks are all making their Broadway debuts and I caught up with them and The Color Purple Company here on opening night
0:18
I was there last night. I know you did. I want to thank you first for one of the most beautiful evenings I have ever spent in the theater. Last night was so incredible
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incredible. I'm so happy to hear that. I'm so happy to hear that. And I can finally say to you
0:31
welcome to Broadway. How does it feel? It is overwhelming. It is a beautiful feeling. And I
0:37
now know that is the truth when they say you have to experience it to really understand what it's
0:42
like, because you do, you know, and once I stepped on that stage from previews to opening night
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it's like, oh my God, wow. You know, and just to feel the love from the people and to see the
0:53
passion that the Broadway following has about theater. And then each cast member is so committed
1:00
in delivering this. It just makes you, it inspires me that much more, you know? Yeah
1:07
The three of you are making your Broadway debuts together. I mean, what was today like? You got to
1:12
the theater, you're the gypsy robe ceremony. What was today like for you? That was so fun and cool
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And it's so different for me, you know. I just love the union in it, you know, like the family in it
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Just to see the person bringing in the robe, the gypsy bringing in the robe that's from another show and then passing it on
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That's love, you know. That's family. And I love this Broadway union
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It's beautiful. This is such a beautiful story. I had all the creators on the red carpet before
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What's it been like working on this beautiful musical? Wow, it has been a dream
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It has been very exciting. It's been emotional for all of us
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Each night, you know, we tap into that much more to continue to build the characters
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And when we see people come in and crying and breaking down and laughing
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and just going on this emotional journey with us, that just lifts us up that much more and inspires us to be able to carry on
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And it lets us know why we do what we do and why there is a such thing as a beautiful play, movie, book called The Color Purple, you know
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Why do you think this affects people? So I have never seen an audience get moved by the way they were moved at your show last night
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Right, right. And we see it every night to see the people moving that way
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One, because it's spiritual. So most of all, you can see the God in it
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It starts with God and it ends with God. And to me, one of the proudest moments is when we say, ah, man, and the audience joins in
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And it's like, that lets us know you got it and we are all on one accord
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I got chills just thinking about it. My final question is, standing on stage tonight, making your Broadway debut
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do you remember what you were thinking? Jennifer, don't cry your eyelashes off right now
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And just taking it all in. It's so electrifying and overwhelming. It's like a dream
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What is happening is a moment you just want to savor and hold on to. But it's so beautiful
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Welcome to Broadway. How does it feel? Just incredible. It's like a dream come true. I am floating, I am happy and I could not have imagined a better way to do it
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You're all doing it together, the three of you. Yes, and it feels like we really are working together
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We really are supporting each other and helping each other through it all. It's been a wonderful experience to be able to do it with these two women
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I don't think I could imagine another two women to be able to do it with at all
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They've been incredible, wonderful. How do you do what you do eight shows a week
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I guess I just invest in telling the truth. And if I invest in telling the truth one bit at a time
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then it becomes easier to do that. If I was to take it on as a whole thing all at once
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I would never be able to get through it. I have to take it one step at a time, but then I make it through
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And it's also the way it's built into the story, mostly how you move through it, right
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Yeah, absolutely. And I think you watch her growth and her emotional growth
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happen right in front of you. So, you know, it's wonderful to be able to pace myself for that as well
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What do you love about playing her? I love the fact that I think there is a misconception that she's probably like the weaker flower
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And I love the fact that she gets to surprise people, that her strength is there
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She just has put it in different places. And then she gets to move it to her front you know towards the end And I think that super important Yeah The audience I have never seen an audience react the way your audience reacts
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What is that like for you? You stopped the show in the middle of it. That's a completely new thing for me
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That's a new thing for me as well. Like, I have never experienced anything like it ever
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So that for me was wonderful. Yeah. It was wonderful. It was just beautiful
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Yeah. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to begin
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I was just waiting to see, living in the moment, I guess, yeah. My final question is when you took your bow on Broadway
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your debut tonight, do you remember what you were thinking? Oh, my goodness, we've done it
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Yeah, that's what I was thinking. And I was thinking, like, I've come such a long way to get to this point
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and it means the world to be able to be here and to do it that way
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I can finally say it. Welcome to Broadway, my friend. How does it feel? Does my expression say it all
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I am so happy to be on Broadway. This had to have been a dream of yours
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You live on stage so beautifully. Thank you so much. I mean, when you're given a part like this
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you can't do anything but just try to give it justice. And that's what I'm trying to do with Sophia
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She's so much fun. Is she to play Sophia? What a sassy. The songs
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I mean, working on this. How great is she to play? Oh, my gosh. She is so much fun
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I love stepping into her shoes. Sophia is fierce. And she's like a grenade
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You got seven seconds to get out of her way. But I just love also watching her grow and lose her strength and find it again through Celie
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It's been fun to play. You've been working with your girls, all making your debuts together
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Yeah. You know, actually, my favorite, though, is Jaquina Calikango, who plays Nettie
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We went to Juilliard together. And to get to be on that stage with her and at the end just grab her hand before we take our bow means so much to me
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So sisterhood is important in this play. And to get to work with Jennifer and Cynthia, who's just a fierce, I am so grateful
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There is nothing like the audience that comes to your show. It's beyond a revival meeting
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You touch everybody in that house. The show stops cold in the middle
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People stand on their feet. There was like a nine-minute standing ovation yesterday at the end of the show
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What is that like? I, you know what? And I'm going to try, I'm crying
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It's just like I'm doing it for my five-year-old self, you know
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For that little girl. When you took your bow tonight, I didn't mean to make you cry
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but there's nothing like a Broadway debut or working on something like this. This is so special
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When you took your bow tonight, do you remember what you were thinking up there? Yes
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I was thinking when I took my bow, take your time, walk slow, and take in every moment
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That's what I was thinking about. And I did. Enjoy this journey, my friend
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Thank you so much. You made me cry. How do you feel
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I feel amazing. I feel so moved and honored and humble. It's just, it's incredible
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I mean, not to mention my mother was in the audience. And my aunt, who has cancer right now
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And my cousin and my sister. So it was like I invited all of the ladies in the family, all of the ladies who made me who I am today, all of the ladies who I measure myself up to and everyone else for that matter
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They all came tonight and it was my opportunity to share with them this beautiful, beautiful story
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Talk about the role that you play. I play the role of Mr
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And he is Celie's husband, not by her own choosing. And he is someone who is, you know, trying to find God, really, just like Celie
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He's trying to kind of rediscover his relationship to happiness. And unfortunately, through unfortunate circumstances that have led him to be someone who doesn't see the beauty in the small things
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through Celie, someone who he's abused and taken for granted, through her strength, he discovers himself
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It's such a beautiful musical. What was it like working on this? You and I spoke very early on in the rehearsal process
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What was it like working on it? It was absolutely amazing. I mean, the score is absolutely breathtaking
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We live in the words that Alice Walker wrote. We live in those words
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And that's what's carried us through, and that's what we keep finding new discoveries in each and every night
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And your three leading ladies. Yeah, right? I mean look Broadway debuts Who could ask for more Who could ask for more They the best leaders that a cast could ask for because they lead by example They don tell anybody what to do
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They don't give any notes. Their egos are left at the door if they are there in the first place
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And they just simply lead by example. They lead by giving 100% every night
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So when you took your bow tonight, do you remember what you were thinking? Yes, I was thinking, Freddie Jackson looks good for his geese
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Looks good. This is Freddie. No, I'm joking. I was just appreciating the love and support
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I was weeping. I was thinking, oh, my God, I'm trying not to do the ugly cry
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I want to do, like, the pleasant, proud cry. Another perfect opening
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How do you feel tonight? I feel incredible. It's one of the best openings I've ever been a part of in my life
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It's just so joyous. I feel so much joy today. I'm overwhelmed with happiness
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and to really have the audience. And it's lovely because, you know, you have an audience of people
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who are producers and other actors and a lot of people are celebrities and they're famous
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and they're all having the same experience that all the audiences before have had
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and it's been incredible. It's been a wonderful night so far. Hoping it all continues
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Oh, it will. And just working on this production, what has it meant to you? It's meant a lot because not all the time
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you get a chance to work on something where you get to do it with such dignity
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There's a lot of dignity in the piece, and Alice Walker has a lot of dignity in her life
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and we wanted to bring that to the piece. And to be able to do a piece like this
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and to do it in such a way that you feel like you're building a mountain
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while you're creating it, it's astounding. To have the creators there. Yes
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And I got the pleasure of pulling them on stage afterwards. Oh, my goodness
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and they've been so amazing and gracious during this whole thing. Brenda and Marcia
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and Steven and Allie have been fantastic. And they have been so encouraging
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about the piece and the way that they want the piece to be done. And they feel so
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elated about it at this moment. And your three leading ladies. Man, you know
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what's amazing about those three? People don't know, but you get to
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the theater, and I keep telling Cynthia I'm like, no one's going to let you leave America now that you're here
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You're stuck. You're stuck. She's incredible. And then for Danielle, who is a Juilliard graduate, and she was on television
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Everyone knows her from TV first. But to see her on the stage where she lives, where she breathes, that is her baby
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And to finally have that for her, I'm so excited for her
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And Jennifer, who is just, come on, she's Jennifer Hudson. She's just incredible
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and she's been such a humble and lovely person to work with
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and she's just one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. And it's amazing to reach all the accolades that she's reached
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and to be so humble. She's wonderful. Wonderful. And this great role you get to play
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Yeah, and it's just a man who's filled with such sensitivity and he's his mother's child
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That's what I said throughout rehearsal. He's his mother's child and he just happens to be living with a man who's a bit tyrannical
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and that man lived with another man who was very tyrannical and that tyranny doesn't
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make him flinch from his good nature and I love that about him. I mean I'm my mother's
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son, I'm that sensitive kid and to be able to portray someone that's close
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to me in nature has been really amazing. You don't always get an opportunity
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to do something like that, it's been wonderful. So when you took your bow tonight on
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Broadway, do you remember what you were thinking? I didn't think anything. I just bowed and I went, don't trip
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Don't trip. Because, man, I didn't want to trip running out. That's why I jumped over the last two steps there
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I'm not tripping. Here we are. Another opening. How do you all feel tonight
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Unbelievable. We feel fantastic. Who knew? Who would ever know? We were not expecting anything, and we got everything
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Right. Yeah, I can't add to that. I can't add to that
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It's just unbelievably blessed, gracious, gratitude. All those words that mean, oh my God, oh my God, OMG, this is fantastic
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But the world has changed since we did this the first time
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And we need to acknowledge that. That this life of the color purple now is, I feel, more relevant
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Being seen from the audience as a commentary as truth as storytelling as history It about now and all the things that are happening now And the people on the stage are singing the story of somebody with no
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chance. And this is a person with the help of the people who come to
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her aid makes it all the way to this glorious end where she
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has everything she ever wanted. And it's everything we ever wanted. So it like parallels, probably
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parallels everyone in the audience, but us especially. Yeah, everybody has some experience of being downtrodden
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or oppressed or under someone's foot and I think, well, the amazing
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Cynthia Erivo embodies that and then she's supported by her community and I think that's what we all want is to be
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supported by our community. And you have the brilliance of John Doyle this time around
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Oh my god. Brilliance of John Doyle. I mean, unbelievable. Just stripping it to its
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core and it's, I think that everyone can feel it that way
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We keep hearing from people, wow, the story is just jumping out at me in a way it didn't
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and we really appreciate that. So that's John. You have your ladies
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Oh my God. I mean, honestly, one tops the other, tops the other, and the whole cast is like that
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And so as songwriters, it's beyond a thrill to have even one of them sing it
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but all of them, oh my God. So my final question is, when you took your bow tonight
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back on Broadway again with this gorgeous production of Color Purple. Do you remember what you were thinking
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Actually, I was thinking I was so happy that we were all alive
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Honestly, truly, alive and together and in love with each other and united in support of this cast and this production
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I just was misgratitude. This show and everyone involved in it in every capacity said it's different from other shows
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It's truly a family. And everyone truly loves each other. And so to be on stage and then to get Alice Walker out there on top of everything
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you're part of something that is so much bigger than you, and that's what the story is about
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Stephen, for you. For me, I think grateful is the word. Being part of Alice Walker's legacy and being surrounded by all that talent, it's indescribable
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And I just feel completely grateful to be any part of that
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How do you feel? Oh my gosh, I just feel so blessed. It is such an honor to be in such a special show
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It's my Broadway debut. I'm overwhelmed with all the love that I've received, both physically and spiritual
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The energy was so crazy today in the audience. And I'm just super, super happy
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It's a great honor. What a great way to make your Broadway debut. You
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I mean, there could be no better show. Of course, I've prayed for this moment for a very long time
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but after it's all said and done at this point, there could be no more perfect show
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It's perfectly God-ordained, and I'm very happy to be able to do it. Talk about the wonderful role that you play
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I play Squeak, and it's so much fun. It's lovely to be the comic relief in the show
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But, you know, she has a little bit of a serious side to her as well. She brings a bunch of information forth
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so everyone knows who Suge Avery is and why she's coming. so it's really fun to do and I love doing it. I love the voice that you use. Was that the most
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challenging for you? How did you find the voice? You know what? I went into the audition not
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expecting to be called in for Squeak at all. They threw it on me at the actual audition. I'm like
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you know this is not typical. This is not the prototype for what Squeaks have been in years
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past so I was very you know taken back like me? Squeak? Really? So I just was like whatever I'll
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just make up something. And, you know, I like to play around with this, like, fun pinky sound that
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I can make, and it just works. So it's stuck, and I'm loving it. And what an incredible cast you get
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to work with, including your three leading ladies. Those ladies are my friends, my sisters. We've
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grown so much in the past two months. I can't believe so much time has passed already. It's
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kind of crazy. Lovely women, so giving and considerate and just smart and inspiring
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Lovely women. You're all making your Broadway debut tonight, all four of you
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We are. I never thought I'd make my Broadway debut with Jennifer Hudson. So what an honor. She's a great lady, and I'm really happy to be doing this with her
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So when you took your bow tonight, Broadway debut, do you remember what you were thinking? My mom's here. My sister's here. So excited
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There could be no more perfect show. I mean, I'm looking in the front row, and the mother of all moms besides my mom, you know, Claire Huxville, Felicia Rashad
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is sitting right there just beaming, and it just feels so great. It was an awesome moment
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