Brévo Theatre’s The Color Purple Is More Than a Musical—It’s a Mirror

Some productions you watch. Others you carry with you long after the lights come up.

Brévo Theatre’s South Florida premiere of The Color Purple belongs firmly in the latter category.

Presented at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, the production marked the first professional staging of the Tony Award-winning musical in South Florida. Adapted from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the acclaimed 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg, the musical follows Celie’s remarkable 40-year journey from abuse and silence to resilience, self-discovery and empowerment. Under the direction of Bryan Keyth Wilson, with choreography by TM Pride, the story comes alive through a moving score infused with gospel, jazz, blues, ragtime and African musical traditions.

While the production is staged in Pompano Beach, it is a regional cultural event that deserves audiences from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Stories this powerful transcend city limits.

What makes The Color Purple endure more than four decades after Alice Walker first introduced readers to Celie is that it refuses to tell just one story.

It’s about womanhood.

It’s about finding your voice after years of believing you don’t have one.

It’s about entrepreneurship and discovering your own independence. It’s about toxic relationships, healing friendships, family, faith, forgiveness, love, heartbreak and the courage to become the person you were always meant to be.

It explores division before showing us the beauty of reconciliation. It examines trauma while reminding us that joy can still exist on the other side.

Everyone walks away connecting with a different character, a different moment or a different lesson.

One minute you’ll laugh.

The next you’ll find yourself reaching for a tissue.

That’s the power of great theater.

The production also carries a profound sense of remembrance.

The show is dedicated to the late Toddra Brunson, the beloved South Florida actress originally cast as Shug Avery before her untimely passing. Rather than simply replacing a performer, Brévo Theatre chose to honor her legacy, allowing her spirit to remain part of every performance. The role of Shug Avery is performed by Aria Hope, while Brunson’s influence continues to be felt by the cast, crew and audiences alike.

Beyond the performances themselves, Brévo worked to create a complete theatrical experience, including themed specialty cocktails and community-centered events designed to bring audiences together before and after the show. The specialty drinks were a fun addition and fit the atmosphere perfectly, although their popularity created a lengthy line before the performance. I eventually settled for a glass of wine rather than risk missing the opening scene—a good problem to have when a theater is drawing enthusiastic crowds.

Personally, I left thinking less about the staging or costumes and more about the conversations families, friends and couples would have on the drive home.

That’s what exceptional theater does.

It doesn’t end when the curtain falls.

It challenges you. It comforts you. It starts conversations that continue long after the applause.

Brévo Theatre has quietly become one of South Florida’s most important cultural institutions. Founded by Zaylin Yates and Terrence Pride, the Carbonell-nominated, Silver Palm Award-winning nonprofit has built its reputation on fearless storytelling that amplifies underrepresented voices and reflects the diverse experiences of our community. From the South Florida premiere of Fat Ham to the original production of Me & My Miami: The Musical and the annual holiday tradition Black Nativity, the company continues to prove that Broadway-caliber theater can thrive right here in South Florida.

If The Color Purple is any indication of what’s next, Brévo Theatre isn’t simply producing plays.

It’s cultivating a home for stories that challenge us, heal us and remind us of our shared humanity.

We often encourage people to support local restaurants and small businesses.

Local theater deserves that same level of support.

Because productions like this don’t just entertain.

They stay with you.