With less than one week to go until The Color Purple heads to the Royal stage, we meet some of The Color Purple cast members. We sat down with Bree Smith, who plays glamorous singer Shug Avery and Anelisa Lamola, who plays the strong and fierce Sofia, about being a part of this amazing production and their characters.
How do you feel about joining The Color Purple as Shug Avery?
Bree: I feel ecstatic. It’s one of my top musicals to perform in, so I feel very blessed.
Anelisa, you are back for the third time in this production of The Color Purple. This time you’re playing Sofia; how does it feel?
Anelisa: It feels incredible, and coming back as Sofia is so exciting for me as it’s one of the roles I’ve always wanted to tick off. It feels really good to be back with this incredible show.
How will you approach the role of Sofia, as she is such an iconic character in the show?
Anelisa: I’m excited to delve into the more feminine side of Sofia; I feel many people play Sofia angry and don’t give her a lot of shade. I want to add a bit of sex appeal to her – really exploring her feminine side and also keeping her very fierce and feisty.
Who is Shug Avery to you, Bree?
Bree: She is an iconic Black female character that represents lots of aunties and just the realness of what a woman is mixed with her sexual nature and sexuality, her voice, and her dress sense. She’s just an iconic character.
What does The Color Purple mean to you?
Anelisa: I can relate to the show having had similar experiences growing up. There are specific themes in it that, as a Black story, really resonate with my upbringing. So doing a show like this is incredible, and I feel honoured to be in it. I’m also obsessed with Oprah Winfrey, so maybe I’ll get a talk show afterwards!
Bree: To start off – purple is actually my favourite colour as my birthday is in February, so my birthstone is amethyst. The film was the first film I cried at – and I’m not much of a crier! I love the music and the story; even though it’s a hard story, so many themes are relevant in society. It means a lot.
You’re taking the show on its first-ever tour of England and Wales; how does that feel?
Anelisa: That’s so exciting. A lot of people who don’t live in London or get to go to the West End don’t have the chance to experience these types of shows. It had a great reception the last time we performed it in Birmingham. A lot of women across the country will relate to it.
This October is Black History Month, and we are celebrating the outstanding performances, music and stories from Black artists. The Color Purple is a part of this month’s celebrations.