American Theater Group Presents PURLIE Post-Performance Talkback

American Theater Group (ATG) will present a Talkback session entitled “The Origins of Purlie” following the Fri. March 7th 7pm performance of Purlie at Hamilton Stage in Rahway.

Purlie is the musical version of the play Purlie Victorious and was written by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose and Peter Udell with music by Gary Geld. Hasna Muhammad, daughter of Ossie Davis, is expected to participate in the Talkback, along with members of the cast and creative team. All are welcome to attend.

Purlie tells the story of a traveling preacher who returns to his hometown in Georgia and concocts a scheme to reclaim his church while ringing the bell of freedom for plantation workers.  Nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction and Best Choreography, the original Broadway production launched the careers of Melba Moore, Cleavon Little and Sherman Hemsley. 

“We have been very fortunate to have been working closely with the Davis family on bringing this landmark musical back to the NYC area for the first time in 20 years,” noted ATG Producing Artistic Director Jim Vagias, “and we are thrilled to be joined by Hasna to provide an insider's look at its development.” 

ATG's production is directed by Kenny Ingram, who was nominated for a 2023 Audelco Award for his direction of James T. Lane's Triple Threat Off Broadway at Theatre Row and choreographed the NY Times' Critic Choice's Emojiland at the Duke on 42nd St. Ingram's Broadway debut was in The Lion King, where he performed for a decade.  Starring in the production are Timothy Ware-Hill (B'way: Kinky Boots) as Purlie and newcomer Aeja Barrows as Lutiebelle. 

The production runs March 6-23rd at Hamilton Stage in Rahway; performances are at 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and 2pm on Sundays.  There is an additional 2pm matinee on Sat. March 22nd. Tickets are available through the box office by calling 732-499-8226 or online at: https://ucpac.org/event/purlie/.

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