NEW YORK -- Ask Carol Daughtry why, after having recent back surgery, she would get on a bus at 6 in the morning to travel 6 1/2 hours to New York.

Her answer: "The Color Purple."

	Ervin Dyer, Post-Gazette Off the bus and on Broadway, from left, Yodorah Anushka, Sharon Higginbotham and C. Denise Johnson.'The Color Purple' Click image for larger version. Related article If you go to "The Color Purple"

Both the hue and the Broadway production, which is what she's going to see, just do something for her soul.

It's the same chorus for others leaving Pittsburgh on a recent Friday for a weekend bus trip to New York. "The Color Purple heals," they say.

There's Dorothy Williams, 88, the widowed housewife of a coal miner, who is supposed to be resting after just returning from her son's wedding in Shreveport.

"I love this story. I'm meeting the best people, and I'm feeling young again."

Then there's the breast cancer survivor who wanted to remain anonymous but said the play and the camaraderie are just the balm she needed before beginning chemotherapy.

And, then there's Ms. Daughtry, who, most of all, carries her emotion on her sleeve -- literally.

She shows up at about 5:30 a.m. at the bus' point of departure, Parkway Center Mall in Green Tree. She has on a blazing purple T-shirt dotted with hand-stitched purple sequins that spell out "Color Purple," and they are sparkling.

She's traveling with her daughters, Dehanna, 26, and Crystal, 17, a high school senior, and Crystal's friend, Alisha. They all have on the matching T-shirts. Ms. Daughtry had finished them only the night before.

In her hand, she carries a copy of the Alice Walker book. Published in 1982, the award-winning text heralds the triumphs of a circle of black women in 1920s rural Georgia.

"To me, it's not just a color," gushed Ms. Daughtry. "The themes in that book engulfed my whole being. I had to get on the bus."

Ms. Daughtry is not alone. There are two buses full of men and women showing their passion: Many are dressed in lilac, plum, lavender, raspberry and many shades in between.

The trips to New York are arranged by Corporate Planners, an enterprise founded by Denise Norris of Robinson, herself a lover of Ms. Walker's "The Color Purple."

After working in marketing, sales and broadcasting, five years ago, Ms. Norris, using her faith and creativity, decided to strike out on her own.

Two years later, there was buzz that "The Color Purple" was about to light up the Great White Way.

Ms. Norris had to get there. As a businesswoman, she thought: What is the best way to take my family to Broadway and make money?

A little more than two years ago, her "Color Purple" excursions were born. They were slow at first, and there was not much interest. But once Oprah Winfrey signed on as a producer, Ms. Norris' phone began to ring off the hook.

So far, she's made the trip to New York 14 times.

"This is a story that has everything," said Ms. Norris, before working the bus aisle in her own merlot-colored outfit. "There's a little bit of everything. It's about marriage, self-esteem, relationships -- gay and straight -- surviving, overcoming, being victorious. Something about it touches people at their core."

Ms. Norris adds extras that she believes make the trip unforgettable.

First of all, she promises no drugs, no drinking, no smoking and no drama on her buses. It's good clean fun, which she infuses with "Color Purple" trivia and games.

"I'm an old cheerleader," she said. "I think this creates bonding and family on the bus."

For Ms. Daughtry, a stay-at-home mom who lives in North Oakland, it was just what the doctor ordered. She was able to spend time with her daughters in a clean environment and show "that families can do things that are uplifting."

The bus makes several stops along the way before reaching its destination in Elizabeth, N.J., around 6 p.m. The "Purple" pilgrims stay at the Hilton Hotel near Newark International Airport, where Ms. Daughtry found the rooms comfortable and clean.

For those hardy enough, there is time to shop at the nearby Jersey Garden Outlet Mall. Ms. Norris makes arrangements to have the bus ferry shoppers to the mall, but they must arrange their own transportation back to the hotel.

After seeing the musical Saturday night in the Broadway Theatre on Broadway between 52 and 53 streets, there's more in store.

On Sunday morning, Ms. Norris gets her travelers up early for a bus run to Harlem. They eat breakfast together at Amy Ruth's, a soul food restaurant developed by Carl Redding, a Harlem native who named it in honor of his Alabama grandmother. Ask for the turkey sausage.

She often arranges dinner at Sylvia's -- Harlem's soul food basilica. In between there's time to haunt famous Harlem landmarks, including the home of Langston Hughes, Abyssinian Baptist Church and shopping at the African markets.

Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to get around on your own as a day in Harlem is typically time for the bus driver to rest and prepare for the journey home on Sunday evening.