Purlie Victorious
Don’t miss this play at Studio Theatre.
Purlie Victorious premiered in1961, and wove together the aspirations of Purlie, an African American preacher, within the deeply entrenched racism of 1950s southern Georgia. It was written by the multitalented Ossie Davis, who first starred in it as Purlie. The play, rich in historical context, reflects a profound yearning for change amidst a society clinging to outdated norms. Against a backdrop of the civil rights movement, Purlie's journey becomes a microcosm of the broader struggle for African American freedom and dignity.
In an excerpt from the introduction to a 1993 published version of Purlie Victorious, playwright and activist, Ossie Davis, reflected on writing the play saying: “how the murder of the young Emmett Till brought back his own painful, distant memories of growing up in the American South, the use of comedy to tackle ever-pervasive social ills like racism and classism, and the fallout among his fellow activists and members of the Black community for the perceived misuse of a tool that has healed as much as it has hurt.”
A traveling preacher, Purlie heads South on a mission to buy back his father’s church and liberate the sharecroppers he grew up with from the brutal segregationist who still runs their plantation. It is played with humor and uses the survival techniques forged in the Jim Crow South. It uses satire against its targets. What is both sad, and frightening, is that in so many ways the racism the Black community faced when Ossie Davis wrote, and starred, in this play in 1961, is again front and center with the recent decision of the Supreme Court on congressional redistricting in Louisiana, and in the policies of the felon in the White House, and his administration. One has to wonder if we have really come very far?
This production of Purlie is directed superbly by Psalmayene 24 (The Colored Museum). A brilliant cast was brought together led by the magnificent Warner Miller, as Purlie. He is supported by an equally talented cast including Danaya Esperanza, as Lutiebelle; Kelli Blackwell, as Missy; Jason Bowen, as Gitlow; Stephen Patrick Martin, as Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee; John Sygar, as Charlie; and Lizan Mitchell, as Idella.
The play is presented without intermission and is about 100 minutes. It is split into a number of scenes, and each one is better that the last. Each one has times in it that have you laughing, but you never forget the meaning they are trying to have you understand. Each of the actors manages to bring their character to life in a way that they become very real to you.
The creative team is wonderful and includes Set Designer, Alexander Woodward; Costume Designer, Cidney Forkpah; Lighting Design, Colin K. Bills; Sound Design, Kathy Ruvuna; and Fight Choreographer, Robb Hunter.
Purlie Victorious will be at the Studio Theatre through June 21, 2026. With what I know will be the great word of mouth about this wonderful play, it will sell out fast. So, get your tickets online today. This is a great production, of a brilliant play. You will not want to miss seeing it.