Allee Willis - Composer for The Color Purple

By: Alex Lang

Allee Willis is a multimedia mogul. She is probably best known for writing the theme to the television series “Friends,” “I’ll Be There For You.” However, she has many other claims to fame. She won a Grammy for Best Soundtrack for “Beverly Hills Cop,” and also wrote hits for artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Bob Dylan and the Pointer Sisters. To date her records have sold over 50 million copies worldwide.

But, she is not just a songwriter. Willis is also an artist and a pioneer with the Internet. She even appeared before congress in 1997 to talk about artist's rights in the new medium. She also has done consultation work for AOL, Disney and Intel.

Recently, Willis got back into music, but a different type of music. She, along with Brenda Russell and Steven Bray, wrote the music and lyrics to the Broadway hit "The Color Purple," based on the Alice Walker book. The show has taken over Broadway and will begin its national tour in the coming months. Willis talks about what it was like working on her first musical and the success of "The Color Purple."

AL) You have never written a musical before, how did you get involved with "The Color Purple?"

AW) The whole thing with "The Color Purple" was I was really good friends with Scott Sanders who bought the rights to do it as a musical. For almost two years he was asking me about other song writers, 'Who might be appropriate to write this?" And I knew him more in a video and technology phase, but still with all the stuff I've done, It was shocking to me he wasn't asking me do I want to write "The Color Purple." But, I just kind of held it together and went along and then finally one day he told me he was going to give me a list of 50 songwriters and have me give my opinion on who should write a spec song because he didn't want to blindly hire someone. One of the names he mentioned was Brenda Russell, who I have been friends with from the time I had my very first hit, and she was on her way over to my house because we ere writing the score to an animated series we created.

So I said to him, 'She's coming over and what if I collaborate with her and we hand in a song and what if I bring in a third writer." We wrote the song, we took a couple months doing it, which is an extraordinary long time to spend on a spec song. We were up a bunch of really famous song writers and we nailed it.

AL) Were you afraid a bad musical would hurt the legacy of "The Color Purple."

AW) You almost couldn't afford to think that way. Because of "The Color Purple," it wasn't something like "E.T." that was a good story. "The Color Purple" culturally for Afro-America is unbelievable and the message of it is so significant. We were intent in putting that message out there in the greatest form, rather than thinking is it going to be a hit is it not going to be a hit. We felt we would do OK. Everyone in the production, from Oprah Winfrey on down, really felt as they had been hand picked to do it and you were given an opportunity unlike most in the entertainment business because the message of it was so important. Because the book had changed a lot of people's lives, given the strength to do things differently. If Celie can do this, I can do this. So you just have to stay in the spirit of "The Color Purple."

AL) What is the spirit of "The Color Purple?"

AW) There is a line in the show. When Celie thinks God has forgotten her and another character says, basically, 'Look around you. Look at the trees, look at the animals, these were all put there by God and they are there for your enjoyment.' And the line is 'I think it'd pissed God off if anybody walked past the color purple in the field and not notice it.' So it's like these things are here and it's up to you, do you want to look at the downside or do you want to look at the upside? And everything is there for you, if you want it. And I've always been obsessed with that particular message in my songs. "The Color Purple" is the ultimate story if that is the message you want to put out there as an artist.

AL) How excited was the production when it received 11 Tony nominations?

AW) Well we were shocked because going into this, truthfully, it would have never dawned on me we would get Tony nominations. I was very confident of the music we wrote, I love the story, and the acting was phenomenal. Evidently, we really shook up Broadway, not the least was the audience we brought in. We were actually snubbed in a lot of the lesser important theater awards, and it was really eye-opening. I wasn't going to write another musical. So when we got the 11 I felt a little vindicated, for the other snubs.

AL) Despite the 11 Tony nominations, "The Color Purple" hasn't been highly thought of by critics, but the audience has loved it. Does not having critical success bother you?

AW) We were the biggest hit of last season. We knocked "Spamalot" out of number three; we're sold out for over a year, the audience reaction has been phenomenal. They always use the expression 'bridge and tunnel,' which means people from New Jersey and tourists all come to see these Broadway shows and with us, that's not the audience we are getting. We are getting people who are on busses, who caravan in. Who travel four days in a row, pull up, get out, see the show and get back on to drive back. It's unbelievable. It's to the point where the normal bridge and tunnel crowd can't get tickets. That kind of interaction and passion from the audience, as an artist, there is nothing better.

AL) You mentioned the different crowds you are bringing in from over the country, now you are taking the show to the crowds with a national tour, are you excited for that?

AW) Oh yeah, absolutely. It is thrilling for me. Our first stop is Chicago and then we go to Los Angeles for two months and then there is a series of three weeks in 10 other cities. That's just thrilling to me, although I am so attached to this original cast. The thought of it being all over, is just beyond.

AL) You are the first woman ever to have written two shows that opened on Broadway in the same season, what was that like?

AW) "The Color Purple," with my collaborators, really wrote the music myself. So "Hot Feet" the Earth, Wind & Fire musical, I don't want anyone to believe I had anything to do with the writing of the musical itself. I wrote songs for Earth, Wind & Fire. So there are five greatest hits in there that are mine, and then two songs written for very specific spots in the show. It was much closer to writing when you write for records, the writing for a Broadway show. But, yes I am the first woman to have two written shows open in the same season on Broadway.

AL) Only four other people: Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, George Gershwin and Marvin Hamlisch, have written two shows opening in the same season. What is it like being mentioned along with those guys?

AW) Well, that's like wow. Because when those guys were writing show tunes were pop music; that was the radio. Those were the golden days of theater, so just to be in a category with people who wrote hundreds of songs people know, it's incredible.

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