Tony & Grammy Award winner and Academy & Emmy Award nominee Leslie Odom, Jr. will star in a new Broadway production of the classic American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by the legendary Ossie Davis. Purlie Victorious will be staged by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon who directed the critically acclaimed productions of Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy and Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog earlier this season. This play, scheduled to begin in late summer 2023, will mark Odom’s return to Broadway after winning the Tony for his iconic performance as “Aaron Burr” in Hamilton.
The production, directed by Kenny Leon, never turns as grim as its undercurrents – or, for that matter, as its ruefully stated grievances. For one thing, it’s too fleet: the three-act original has been condensed into a 105-minute sprint sans intermission. Moreover, the cast is a joy to watch, seamlessly blending righteous passion and practical laughs, even as the play’s torrents of dialogue threaten to overwhelm them. Though Odom is the top-billed star attraction here, it takes Young all of about 30 seconds to start stealing scenes. She gives Luttiebelle a slightly cracked voice and, when she’s called upon to perform as a college-educated Cousin Bee, a teetering case of nerves; it adds up to a perfectly judged case of playing daft but not dumb. Davis’s script has funny lines for everyone, but it’s Young who earns the biggest guffaws from pure performance, like her pronunciation of “obliged” or her uneasiness in high heels.
A modern audience, a 2023 audience, must travel to 1961—and to Davis’ very deliberate narrative balancing act—to meet the play not just when it was written, but how it was written. This wonderful cast does precisely that, playing the laughs for every ounce of hilarity to be gleaned from them, and then in a sudden turn confronting racism and white supremacy head-on. Ol’ Cap’n, and all he represents, are shown to be both vicious and ridiculous.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $40
Where: rush.telecharge.com
When: The lottery will open at 12 AM on the day before the performance closing at 3 PM the day before the performance. Winners are drawn at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Winners will be notified by email shortly after each drawing and have six hours to claim and purchase tickets online. Tickets will be emailed. Seats may be located in any section of the theater. While every effort will be made to seat pairs together with a full view, there is a chance that pairs may be split up and that your seat may have a partial view of the stage. Subject to daily availability.
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