This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Clotile Bonet is an African American-Mormon who's in the cast of the touring company of "The Color Purple." And that's a bit much for some people to comprehend. Particularly when Bonet tells them she's from Utah.
"They go, 'What?!? Are you kidding me? What are you doing in Utah, girl? There's no black people in Utah,' " she said with a laugh. "And I say, 'Well, actually, there are.' " And she added, their numbers are growing.
Bonet, who understudies the lead role of Celie and plays several supporting roles, isn't offended by the reaction. "It's hilarious," she said. "Because being an African-American girl from Utah, graduating from BYU and being LDS is kind of a rarity."
As is the way she ended up in "The Color Purple." As she was graduating from Brigham Young University with an acting degree, she was also landing the role in the much-praised musical.
"This was my first audition out of college last year," she said. "In the audition, the director, Gary Griffin, gave me a standing ovation."
"The Color Purple" is the musical version of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, on which the 1985 film was based. It's the story of Celie, a woman who suffers sexual and physical abuse, racism and poverty, but rises above all of it.
Despite its subject, "there is happiness within it," Bonet said. "The movie is a lot darker than the musical. And I think this is actually a better portrayal of the book."
Still, she said it's tough to live the story every night, because of the heartache Celie goes through. "But it is so rewarding at the same time to see the triumph," the actor said. "Me being a very religious person in general, to sing 'Look What God Has Done' is just kind of amazing."
Bonet was born in Nevada and her family — including seven siblings — moved to Farmington when she was in middle school.
"We're a very typical LDS family in terms of the numbers," she said. "And we all sing and are involved in the arts in some fashion."
They "bounced around" the state a bit, landing in Southern Utah, where she attended Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, a public charter school. There she was inspired by her drama teacher, Richard Hill. "He showed me what it was like to transport into this other element of acting," Bonet said. "And motivated me to do exactly what I'm doing."
According to Hill, Bonet's talent was apparent at a young age. "She was a fabulous actress, and really mature, with a strong attitude," said Hill, who now teaches at Hurricane High. "That registered on stage. She carried herself as someone who knew what she was doing, and that's not true of a lot of high school sophomores."
From there it was on to BYU, where she performed with the Young Ambassadors for three years and quickly (and unexpectedly) grabbed a lead role in the campus production of "Smokey Joe's Café."
Her older sister was cast in the role, despite being eight months pregnant. Bonet was her understudy. And then her sister went into labor.
"Lo and behold, the week before the show even opened, I had to go in and I did the whole run when I was 19," Bonet said.
She's performed lead roles in "Aida," "Ragtime," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Les Misérables," at BYU and Hale Center Theater.
"She is a delight," said Barta Heiner, the professor who heads BYU's undergraduate acting program. "She is very fun to work with. And she's an excellent actress. She has a way of really tapping into the emotional content of a character and finding the vulnerability. She's also a great singer."
But Bonet's dreams aren't so much aimed at playing Elphaba in "Wicked" on Broadway, but playing Kate in "Taming of the Shrew" in London's Globe Theatre.
"Ultimately, I would love to do more Shakespeare," she said. "I love Shakespeare. I got my BFA in acting — not music dance theater, but straight acting. And that's kind of where my heart is tugged. I'm really considering traveling to London to study abroad and do classical work."
Where, perhaps, people will react with great surprise when they learn where she's from.
"That tickles me," Bonet said. "And it makes me really proud to say, 'I am from Utah. And Utah does have someone like me to offer.' "
'The Color Purple'
Broadway Across America — Utah presents the national touring musical, which plays Tuesday, Nov. 16 to Sunday, Nov. 21 at the Capitol Theater, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $30-$57.50 (plus service fees), at www. artTix.org or 801-355-ARTS. Student tickets are $15, and available at the box office.