Much goodwill is extended toward the musical of The Color Purple, benefiting from the immense love audiences feel for Alice Walker's 1982 novel and Steven Spielberg's 1985 movie.

It's that long-ago earned passion that carries the musical, which skates through episodes in the life of the oppressed Celie, and the women around her, without really earning or delivering an emotional payoff.

The script by Marsha Norman faithfully takes us from Celie's brutal youth, in which she has twice been raped and impregnated by her father, through her marriage to the even crueler Mister, who separates her from the one person who loves her, her sister Nettie. But the script doesn't linger long enough in any situation to establish the horrors that lead to second-act redemption. And the songs, by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, are forgettable, fairly short tunes based in pop, gospel and African melodies that neither linger in the ear nor expand upon the story.

Walker's story remains, though, and her characters continue to be remarkable. Onstage, four women dominate her tale, each surviving the first half of the 20th century through her own tactics. For Celie, repeatedly abused and told she has no worth, the answer is submission. Played on an understudy-studded opening night by Phyre Hawkins, Celie finds disappearing is her best chance, which makes her eventual emergence, in which Hawkins turns her whisper to a roar, a triumph for character and audience.

Celie's sister, Nettie (LaTrisa A. Harper), finds flight to be the answer. She disappears for much of the story, believed by Celie to be dead but instead discovering herself as a missionary in Africa. Shug Avery, through whom Celie's sexuality is awakened, uses seduction as her means toward independence from men. Anika Ellis has a terrific voice and charismatic manner, but her bodybuilder's physique is a distraction in a period piece.

Finally, and most indelibly, there is Sofia, played by Felicia P. Fields, nominated for a Tony when she originated the role on Broadway. Where Nettie chooses flight, Sophia chooses fight, and while the men in her life fear her, she is painfully reminded that there are some battles she cannot win. Fields is a riveting presence onstage, her growl both fierce and funny and her songs -- the stand-up Hell No! and Any Little Thing, a sexy duet with her husband Harpo, played by the sweet natured Stu James -- are the show's finest.

While the music is often sodden, the dance, choreographed by Donald Byrd, is wonderful, allowing the men to shine in numbers that are filled with loose hips and looser legs. But in a story that takes place entirely in the American South and Africa, Brian MacDevitt's lighting design is overly dark and distancing. Sound on opening night was a problem as well, with first act voices sounding so guttural they were often drowned out by the orchestra.

The show even opens strangely. Rather than plunging us into Celie's life, it begins with a big gospel number, featuring a trio of chattering church ladies who seem lifted directly from the Pick-a-Little ladies of The Music Man. It's as if the creators thought we needed a snort of sugar to make it through the tale, when in truth, a darker beginning would have made the end shine all the more brilliantly.

The Color Purple

Grade: C+

When and where: Through Jan. 18, Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex

Tickets: $15 and up

Information: 303-893-4100