Purlie Victorious
| Purlie Victorious | |
|---|---|
 Broadway Revival Promotional Poster | |
| Written by | Ossie Davis |
| Date premiered | 1961 |
| Place premiered | Cort Theatre |
| Original language | English |
| Setting | The cotton plantation country of the Old South. |
Purlie Victorious (A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch) is a three-act comedic stage play written by American actor Ossie Davis. The play tells the fictional story of Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson, a dynamic traveling preacher returning to his hometown in rural Georgia, to save his small hometown church.[1] The play—starring Davis himself in the title role—premiered on Broadway in 1961 and ran for 261 performances.[2][3]
The play has been revived on Broadway in 2023 at the Music Box Theatre directed by Kenny Leon, marking the first major New York production of the play since the original production closed in 1962.[4][5]
Synopsis
The 2023 revival performs the show without intermission.
Act I
Purlie Victorious Judson returns to his small hometown in Georgia, with Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins and a plan to win back his family inheritance from Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee, the plantation owner. Purlie’s dream is to buy back Big Bethel, the community’s church, so that he can preach freedom to the cotton pickers. Purlie shares his plan with his brother Gitlow and sister-in-law Missy, who despite their initial skepticism agree to help. Later that afternoon, in the back office of the village commissary, Idella is tending to Charlie, Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s son, who got a black eye in a barroom brawl the previous night over his support of racial integration. Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee does not share or respect his son’s progressive values and arrives to punish Charlie. Charlie distracts his father by delivering the cotton and commissary reports. Every negro family is in debt, and Charlie challenges his father’s “cheating” ways. Ol’ Cap’n becomes agitated, and Charlie holds his ground; Ol’ Cap’n runs him off and then collapses due to the stress.
Act II
It is time for Purlie’s plan. Gitlow lets Purlie and Lutiebelle into the back door of the commissary. Lutiebelle is dressed up as Purlie’s deceased Cousin Bee, whom she will pretend to be to win back the family inheritance. Purlie and Lutiebelle rehearse one last time before Ol’ Cap’n arrives. All does not go according to plan, but Purlie jumps in and wins Ol’ Cap’n over with flattery. OI Cap’n agrees to give the money and asks Lutiebelle to sign a receipt, which exposes their ruse, and a fight ensues. Purlie and Lutiebelle escape.
Two days later, Purlie returns to Missy and Gitlow’s shack. Idella is there looking for Charlie, who is missing. Missy thanks her for getting Ol’ Cap’n to drop the charges against Purlie and encourages Purlie to ask Lutiebelle to marry him. He is determined to get his Church back. Gitlow returns bragging that he has secured the $500 inheritance from Ol’ Cap’n, in exchange for Lutiebelle working at the house. Purlie fumes. Lutiebelle enters in a disheveled state. Ol’ Cap’n has cornered her in the pantry. Furious, Purlie heads up to the house to confront Ol’ Cap’n.
Act III
Later that night, Lutiebelle and Missy wait at the shack for Purlie to return. Gitlow arrives without news. He suspects Purlie has fled rather than confront Ol’ Cap’n. Lutiebelle and Missy worry. Finally, Purlie returns with $500 and Ol’ Cap’n’s bull whip. Purlie tells the others how he sought vengeance on Ol’ Cap’n. The others celebrate his victory until Idella arrives and reveals the truth about how Purlie has secured the money. During a final confrontation with Ol' Cap'n, it is revealed that when Charlie purchased Big Bethel, against his father's orders, he reveals that he registered the deed in Purlie's name, shocking Ol' Cap'n into dying of a heart attack.
Epilogue
The play concludes with Purlie at the pulpit in Big Bethel during a funeral for Ol' Cap'n, offering a unique and heartfelt blessing for unity and freedom for all.
Historical casting
| Character | Broadway | Broadway Revival |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2023 | |
| Purlie Victorious Judson | Ossie Davis | Leslie Odom Jr. |
| Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins | Ruby Dee | Kara Young |
| Charley Cotchipee | Alan Alda | Noah Robbins |
| Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee | Sorrell Booke | Jay O. Sanders |
| Gitlow Judson | Godfrey Cambridge | Billy Eugene Jones |
| Missy Judson | Helen Martin | Heather Alicia Simms |
| Idella Landy | Beah Richards | Vanessa Bell Calloway |
| The Deputy | Roger C. Carmel | Noah Pyzik |
| The Sheriff | Ci Herzog | Bill Timoney |
History
The play premiered in 1961 on Broadway, initially at the Cort Theatre, before finishing out its 261-performance run at the Longacre Theatre. The production was nominated for one Tony Award for Godfrey Cambridge in the category Best Featured Actor in a Play. The production was directed by Howard da Silva, produced by Philip Rose, and costumed by Ann Roth.[6] Martin Luther King Jr. was photographed with the cast after attending a performance.[7]
After the New York production closed in May 1962, Davis and Dee took the play on tour, premiering it in Chicago July 9 through August 5, 1962 at the Edgewater Beach Playhouse.[8]
A filmed version of the play, titled Gone Are the Days! was released in 1963. Davis, Dee, Cambridge, Richards, Alda, and Brooke reprised their roles from the Broadway production.[9]
In 1970, with little involvement from Davis, his play was turned into a Broadway musical, titled Purlie. The production was well received and was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical.
In 2002, an industry reading was held featuring Kerry Washington as Lutiebell, Whoopi Goldberg as Missy, Ruby Dee as Idella and Harold Perrineau as Purlie.[10]
The play has been revived on Broadway in a production directed by Kenny Leon and starring Leslie Odom Jr., Kara Young, and Vanessa Bell Calloway premiered at the Music Box Theatre in previews on September 7, 2023 and officially opened on September 27, 2023 for a limited engagement through January 7, 2024.[4] The limited engagement was later extended through February 4, 2024. [11]
Critical reception
The 2023 Broadway revival received critical acclaim.
Jesse Green of The New York Times wrote, "The Purlie Victorious that opened on Wednesday at the Music Box—unaccountably its first Broadway revival—is every bit as scathingly funny as the 1961 reviews said it was", referencing Howard Taubman's initial 1961 review calling the play "exhilarating," "uninhibited" and "uproarious," all in the first three paragraphs.[12]
Tim Teeman of The Daily Beast wrote, "Ossie Davis' Purlie Victorious (A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch) is both uproarious satire and cultural gut punch—with the biggest clue in its lead character's name and the play's title."[13]
Greg Evans of Deadline praised the casting, stating "Starring a magnificent Leslie Odom, Jr., in the title role, and featuring equally fine performances by an enchanting Kara Young, Billy Eugene Jones, Vanessa Bell Calloway and more, Purlie Victorious [...] has been given an urgent—and, oh yes, very, very funny—revival by Leon and his top-notch creative team.[14]
References
- ^ "Purlie Victorious". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Playbill Vault Original 1961 Playbillaccessed 06/30/2023
- ^ Taubman, Howard. "Theatre: 'Purlie Victorious' Romps In; Ossie Davis Stars in His Play at Cort". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ a b Culwell-Block, Logan; Masseron, Meg (June 15, 2023). "Broadway Revival of Purlie Victorious, Starring Leslie Odom Jr., Reveals Dates, Theatre, Full Casting". Playbill.
- ^ "Purlie Victorious". Purlie Victorious. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Taubman, Howard (1961-09-29). "Theatre: 'Purlie Victorious' Romps In; Ossie Davis Stars in His Play at Cort". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Evans, Greg (2023-02-01). "Broadway Bound: Leslie Odom, Jr. To Star In Revival Of Ossie Davis' 'Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch' This Summer". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ "Edgewater Beach Playhouse | Edgewater Historical Society". www.edgewaterhistory.org. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ "Purlie and His Friends Return in a Film, 'Gone Are the Days!'". The New York Times. 1963-09-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ "Whoopi Goldberg, Ruby Dee Read Purlie Victorious in NYC Feb. 11". Playbill. 11 February 2002. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Evans, Greg (2023-10-13). "'Purlie Victorious' Starring Leslie Odom Jr. Wins Four-Week Broadway Extension". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ Green, Jesse (2023-09-28). "Review: 'Purlie Victorious' Throws a Comic Funeral for Racism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ Teeman, Tim (2023-09-28). "Review: 'Purlie Victorious' Skewers Racism With Passion—and Laughter". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ Evans, Greg (2023-09-28). "'Purlie Victorious' Broadway Review: Leslie Odom Jr. Keeps Ossie Davis' Groundbreaking Comedy True To Its Title". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-10-15.