Hampton University alums star in ‘The Color Purple’

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The movie musical, “The Color Purple” shattered box office records on Christmas Day by bringing in more than $18 million. The Oprah Winfrey production already has Hollywood buzzing about moviegoers’ appetite for more movie musicals.

Hampton University alums Tiffany Elle Burgess, Class of 2001, was cast as Olivia, and Stephen Hill, class of 2000, was cast as Buster. The Pirates are making the 757 and their families proud.

This was Burgess’ first role in a major film, and she broke the news to her mom over the phone after she has spoken with with her agent.

“We laughed and, she kind of screamed a little bit, and said, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m so proud of you,'” Burgess said.

Burgess’ mom was a fan of “The Color Purple,” and as a head of the English department, she was an avid reader. She had read and taught a lot of the classics, and considered “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker to fall into that category, Burgess said.

Hill was known across the globe as the pilot, T.C., on the new Magnum PI. Now he’s flying high on “The Color Purple.”

“I still watch Spielberg’s [1985] version,” Hill said. “I’ve gone to see ‘The Color Purple,’ our version, now five times, and it just gets better and better because I’m singing along with the songs. It’s good to see friends of mine, like Tiffany, and just to be able to see them on the big screen is incredible. Eventually, it won’t be in theaters; so I want to keep taking advantage of that opportunity to see it in a theater.”

These Pirates said frame by frame, “The Color Purple” has power.

“I implore people of other communities, not just the Black community, come in and feel these this come to watch this tapestry of Black excellence unfold in front of you,” Hill said. “So you have the music, you have the story, you have the dancing and you have the energy. It is about watching Celie turn her trauma into triumph.”

Burgess said the film also discusses topics like sisterhood, forgiveness and redemption.

“There are just so many different things that I feel like people can do that will resonate with people,” Burgess said. “And when they come out of the film, I know there will be some type of emotion that stirred up in them, and I feel like you need to go.”