Book by Marsha Norman. Music and Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. Produced by Brian Boruta. Directed by BW Gonzalez. Music Direction by Nathanael Wilkerson. Choreographed by Najee A. Brown. Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland. Lighting Design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal; Sound Design by James Cannon. Costume Designer: Danielle Domingue SumiHair, Hair & Makeup Design by Schanaya Barrows. Through June 4 at Umbrella Stage, 40 Stow St., Concord, MA.

by Linda Chin

Umbrella Stage’s production of The Color Purple, a musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is – in a word – epic.

Designers Janie E. Howland, Danielle Domingue Sumi, and SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal have created a world that is simultaneously unassuming and powerful: an unpainted, multi-level structure constructed of rough-hewn beams and natural wood deck boards, unadorned, well-worn period costumes in earthy tones, and soft, dusky lighting punctuated with jewel tones (including the titular color) transport us to rural Georgia in 1909-1949.  

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