Go backstage at 'The Color Purple:' Bay Area events to explore this weekend
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- It's the first weekend of "The Color Purple" in San Francisco, and we're taking you behind the scenes with one of the stars. ABC7 has teamed up with our partners at Hoodline to bring you all the best Bay Area events this weekend. Let's get started with this Broadway hit.
'The Color Purple' Comes to SHN Orpheum Theatre
The iconic show is officially playing in San Francisco after winning the 2016 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. We caught up backstage with actor N'Jameh Camara, who describes the show as a "love story between two sisters." She plays one of those sisters, Nettie, in the national tour.
The half Gambian, half Filipino actor says that it's been a long journey to the stage. She described the moment she found out she'd won the part and how she broke the news to her loved ones.
"The first person to find out was my fiancé... I said that 'The Color Purple' would like to cast me in their National Tour as Nettie. I'm still like, I can't believe it... they were going to take a chance on me, and they're certain of me, and I don't need to do the umpteenth audition with them. And I'm very grateful," said Camara.
She took our cameras backstage to her dressing room, where she showed us the personal mementos, family photos and meaningful poems that line her vanity. And she revealed some of the details you may not notice when sitting in the audience; she touches the stage during every performance, to "ground herself."
See the Color Purple star's illuminating behind-the-scenes dressing room interview here.
"The Color Purple" runs through through May 27th at the SHN Orpheum Theatre.
To see more on SHN Orpheum's entire season lineup, click here.
To see more on "The Color Purple" at SHN Orpheum Theatre, click here.
Macaroni and Cheese Celebration
There's a lot more going on in the Bay Area. If you're a mac n' cheese lover, head to Napa on Sunday. The Culinary Institute of America at Copia will teach you how to make the "perfect" mac n' cheese, including allergy-friendly versions, and will even show you how to sneak veggies into your delicious recipe.
It's part of this month's Conversations at Copia Series.
For more information, visit the link at Hoodline here.
Cinco de Mayo in San Francisco
Of course, we haven't forgotten about Cinco de Mayo! The event billed as the biggest pub crawl in San Francisco is happening on Saturday, called "San Fran Cinco De Mayo." Check-in at Mayes Oyster House from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and get ready to follow your map to participating bars.
For all the info, visit Hoodline.
MORE TO DO: Enjoy the weekend, and don't forget to check out Hoodline's events calendar for more ideas.
