Angela Wildflower and Bri Woods in KCRep’s 2025 production of The Color Purple – Photo by Don Ipock
This review was written by a TeenTix KC teen who is learning about arts journalism through the Press Corps, which provides teens with training and tools to respond to their arts experiences. TeenTix KC seeks to engage teens in the arts and amplify their voices. This may be the first time this teen has publicly expressed their opinion about an arts experience. Thank you for reading and supporting this teen’s development as an arts journalist.
“I want you to be a story for me that I can believe forever.” That line echoes the heart of The Color Purple and for me, Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s production at the Spencer Theatre became exactly that: a story I can believe forever. It’s not just a show; it’s a legacy, a narrative woven for generations.
Directed by Daniel J. Bryant, with choreography by Heather Beal and music direction by Pamela Baskin-Watson, KCRep’s staging shines as both intimate and epic. Scenic design by Eli Sherlock grounds the production in engraved lines from the show, while Bentley Heydt’s lighting design washes the stage in emotion cloaking moments of despair in shadow and flooding scenes of triumph with radiance. Jarrod Barnes’ costumes, Jon Robertson’s sound design and Kelley Jordan’s hair and makeup design enrich the storytelling, ensuring every detail reflects the world of Alice Walker’s novel.
Based on Walker’s groundbreaking book, the award-winning musical traces Celie’s journey through hardship, love and self-discovery. I had the privilege of not only seeing this breathtaking production but also speaking with Angela Wildflower, who currently embodies Celie on stage. So, this piece is both a celebration of the show and a glimpse into Wildflower’s artistry.
The story, set during the Reconstruction era, follows Celie and her sister Nettie while exploring themes of resilience, sisterhood, identity, faith and liberation. This show lingers with you long after the curtain falls. Its power lies not just in its words or music, but in the way the actors breathe life into it. As a Black woman, I felt this story pierce me in places both painful and healing but truly, The Color Purple is a mirror for everyone, no matter who they are.
Every performer in this cast shines like a different facet of the same jewel. The Church Ladies, some of my personal favorites, guide us through the narrative with razor-sharp timing and harmonies so rich you could bottle them up like honey. Their physical comedy hits just as hard every side-eye, gasp and whispered “Amen!” landed like a well-aimed punchline. Jenise Cook, Allison Jones and Mia Ramesy had such chemistry, it was clear the audience loved them; their presence elicited wave after wave of laughter.
Then there’s Bree Patterson as Sofia, a firecracker of strength and defiance, perfectly matched with Sheridan as Harpo. Their onstage chemistry sizzled with both love and conflict when they fought, the stage shook; when they reconciled, the whole audience exhaled in relief. Nettie, played by Bri Woods, brought warmth and sincerity to every scene. Her voice soared with such clarity, it felt like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
And of course, Shug Avery, magnetic, sensual, vulnerable. Whenever she sang, it felt like the theater itself leaned in to listen. Each note dripped with emotion, pulling us into her world and making us feel every ounce of joy, longing, and heartbreak. When I asked Wildflower about building Celie’s onstage chemistry with Shug, she told me, “It’s trust. You have to trust the person you’re that intimate with on stage. Me and Algebra [who plays Shug] built a friendship offstage, and that love reflects in what we give on stage. It’s the first time Celie is chosen. The first time she feels that kind of pure love.”
Still, the soul of the show belongs to Celie. Angela Wildflower gives a performance that is both raw and radiant, balancing quiet strength with moments of unshakable power. She carries Celie’s silences with as much weight as her words, showing us how listening can be its own form of resistance. As Wildflower explained, “Celie can be in a room and people forget she’s there — but she’s always listening. Her strength is in being a listener. That’s how she connects to everyone, and especially Shug: she sees people at their root, not just the surface.”
That authenticity is central to her portrayal. Wildflower shared that she approached the role with intentional vulnerability: “I wanted to make this transition over to Celie to show people how many colors I can play. So for me, it was important to come as authentically as I can – natural hair, natural face, no glam. Just the honest core of who I am.”
One of the most striking things she shared came when I asked what audience reactions meant the most to her and she shared: “It’s the best. The students give you everything. They don’t hold back. If they’re laughing, you hear it; if they’re moved, you feel it. There’s a raw honesty in the room. Sometimes they’ll gasp or talk back to the stage and I love that! That’s the spirit of theater, the exchange of energy. You can’t fake that.” Hearing her describe those moments reminded me how vital theater is not just as entertainment, but as a living dialogue between performers and audience.
Her emotional centerpiece comes in the show’s most iconic song, “I’m Here.” Wildflower reflected, “The first time I sang it, I thought Celie was saying, ‘I don’t need you to love me’ to Shug, bitterly. This time, I realized it’s gratitude: ‘I don’t need you to love me, because I love myself.’ That shift made me sing it with joy, not sadness.” And indeed, in that moment, you could feel the audience collectively hold its breath as Celie declared her self-love into existence.
The technical artistry in this production was no exception; it elevated the story to new heights. The lighting design was nothing short of breathtaking, painting the stage with shifting moods that mirrored every beat of emotion. When Celie felt despair, the stage seemed cloaked in shadow; when she found joy, light poured across her like dawn breaking after a storm. The set itself was a work of art, engraved with lines from the show that felt like quiet whispers of legacy, grounding the characters in the very words that shaped them. And then there was the music, the heartbeat of the production. The pit, featuring (Taylor Babb, Pamela Baskin-Watson, Christopher Burnett, Corey Davis, Cindy Egger, Forest Stewart and Brian Ward), delivered a sound so alive it felt like it rose from the floorboards into our bones. There is truly nothing more powerful than live music in the theater; it doesn’t just accompany the story, it carries it; and in this production, it carried us all.
In the end, The Color Purple is more than a show — it’s an experience that leaves you changed. Through Angela Wildflower’s luminous Celie and a cast that pours truth into every note, this production reminds us of the healing power of story, music, and community.
As Wildflower told me, “For me, The Color Purple is like a sunset in Kansas City. When the sky turns pinkish-purple, it reminds me of God’s beauty, even in the middle of storms. It’s a reminder that there is beauty in the struggle.” Those words stay with me, just as this production does. Walking out of the theater, I carried not just the echoes of the songs but the affirmation Celie claims for herself: I’m here.
Reviewed by TeenTix KC Press Corps member Alexandria Mondaine
TeenTix KC is a KC Studio initiative building a brighter future for our region by empowering young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons and leaders. Any 13-19 year-old can become a TeenTix KC member by downloading a free pass which enables them to buy $5 tickets to participating arts venues across metro KC. Teens are encouraged to become critics and influencers by writing reviews and creating reels about the arts they experience using their TeenTix KC passes.
