One wonders if Alice Walker ever envisioned her Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel "The Color Purple" being adapted into a musical. But songwriters Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray did just that in 2005. And Saturday evening, I was able to see the latest adaptation of this musical at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.

While the show's story remained faithful to Walker's novel, director Lili-Anne Brown brings a fresh perspective. Gone are the series of letters that composed the book, replaced by actions, words, music, and dancing. I enjoyed the periodic appearance of three muses who sang the latest gossip as a way of delivering exposition.

Brittney Mack was excellent as Celie, who overcame a life of tragedy to achieve self-actualization. Raped by her father and husband in her early teens, she grows throughout the show - mainly through the influence of glamorous Shug Avery, played tonight by Reneisha Jenkins. Curtis Bannister and Nicole Michelle Haskins delivered outstanding performances as the sadistic Mister and the rambunctious Sofia, respectively.

The book was ambiguous about the passage of time in this period piece, setting its story in some time in the early nineteenth-century Georgia. This play displayed the years in large, illuminated letters to indicate the passage of decades clearly.

The music of Russell and Willis combines jazz, blues, gospel, and modern show tunes wonderfully. Each song brought out emotions in the audience.

The show's running time (almost three hours) may turn off some attendees, but its compelling story and beautiful music kept me engaged throughout the evening.