Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Eugene Jones, and Kara Young Will Star in PURLIE VICTORIOUS: A NON-CONFEDERATE ROMP THROUGH THE COTTON PATCH Revival On Broadway
Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Eugene Jones, and Kara Young | Photos: Kayleen Bertrand, Ashli Owens, and Jason T. Haberman
Tony & Grammy Award winner and Academy & Emmy Award nominee Leslie Odom, Jr. will star in the first Broadway revival of the American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by the legendary Ossie Davis. The complete cast includes: Vanessa Bell Calloway as Idella Landy, Billy Eugene Jones as Gitlow Judson, Noah Pyzik as Deputy Noah Robbins as Charlie Cotchipee Jay O. Sanders as Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee, Heather Alicia Simms as Missy Judson, Bill Timoney as Sheriff and Tony Award nominee Kara Young as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins.
Tony Award winner Kenny Leon will direct the production. Previews will begin on Thursday, September 7, 2023, with the opening date to be announced at a later date. The production will play at The Music Box Theatre.
The play marks Odom’s return to Broadway after winning the Tony for his iconic performance as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.
The creative team will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Derek McLane, costume design by Tony Award nominee Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Drama Desk Award nominee Adam Honoréand sound design by Peter Fitzgerald.
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch is the rousing, laugh-filled comedy by Ossie Davis that tells the story of a Black preacher’s machinations to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church. The play premiered on Broadway in 1961 at the Cort Theatre (now the James Earl Jones Theatre), directed by Howard Da Silva, and starred Ossie Davis as Purlie Victorious Judson and his wife and frequent collaborator, Ruby Dee as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins.
“Ossie Davis gave the American theater an American hero in Purlie Judson,” said Leslie Odom, Jr. “I have loved this piece and its author, Mr. Davis, for well over half my life. His writing and acting, his integrity, the commitment he and his brilliant wife made to nurturing young talent, and the example of citizenship have meant so much to me! I am thrilled beyond measure to be part of this revival company. Mr. Davis’s pages are full of joy and rhythm, laughter and hope. We will endeavor to live up to the demands of a challenging text and the legacy of a great American.”
The producing team is led by Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Irene Gandy, Willette and Manny Klausner, Kayla Greenspan and Leslie Odom, Jr., making his Broadway producing debut.
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