‘The Color Purple’ Opens at the Benedum; Pens vs. Sabres (Tues., 11/14/17)

Your red and green can wait—here comes ‘The Color Purple.’ The touring musical is part of a rich variety of shows in town preceding the holiday season. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

1)The Color Purple, published in 1982, unflinchingly depicts the sexual and violent oppression of African-American women in the 1930s South. The epistolary novel became the stand-out literary work of 1983 when it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Award for Fiction. A movie adaptation followed in 1985. The film was then adapted into a Broadway musical, which balances the somber story with cathartic blues, gospel, jazz, and ragtime numbers. The production ran from 2005 to 2008. It was revived in 2015. The Color Purple cast album won a Grammy, and the cast won a Daytime Emmy for a performance on NBC’s “Today.” The revival also saw Jennifer Hudson’s Broadway debut in the role of blues and jazz singer Shug Avery. The play is by by Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell, and Allee Willis, from Alice Walker’s novel. 7:30 p.m. Performances through November 19. The touring company stops at the Benedum Center. 237 7th St., Cultural District. (CM)

2) Tonight at the PPG Paints Arena our Pens. face off against the Buffalo Sabres. The Pens currently occupy fourth place in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division. 7:30 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

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