Show Finder
Purlie Victorious
First Preview: Sep 7, 2023
Opening Date: Sep 27, 2023
Closing Date: Feb 4, 2024
Running Time: 01:40
Playing @
Music Box Theatre
239 W 45th Street, New York, NY 10036
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch is the rousing, laugh-filled comedy by Kennedy Center honoree Ossie Davis that tells the story of a Black preacher’s machinations to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church. Directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun, Fences, Topdog/Underdog), this inspiring and delightful comedic masterpiece became the source material for the beloved hit musical, Purlie. Leslie Odom, Jr. returns to Broadway for the first time since his Tony Award-winning performance in Hamilton.
Show Notes: No intermission
Audience Advisory: Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the theatre.
Performance Schedule
Visit telecharge.com for full performance schedule.
Cast
- Leslie Odom
- Jr.; Kara Young; Billy Eugene Jones
Written By
- Ossie Davis
Director
- Kenny Leon
TDF Tickets Offers:
Listed at 
Never
Full-price tickets:
$74.00 - $318.00
Video
Reviews
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Critic's Pick! Ossie Davis’s 1961 play is no period piece, as a blazing and hilarious revival starring Leslie Odom Jr. testifies...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. (In The New York Times, Howard Taubman called it “exhilarating,” “uninhibited” and “uproarious,” all in the first three paragraphs.) But even though times have surely changed—for one thing, the Cort Theater is now the James Earl Jones—everything dark in the play is still dark, and the lightness no less necessary...it’s Odom who carries the play’s weight as it shifts from genre to genre and reveals further layers of character. Part of the freedom Davis took for himself, and that [Kenny] Leon emphasizes in his staging, is the right to be many things at once, not all of them reputable.
—Jesse Green, The New York Times -
Four stars! Ossie Davis's raucous play returns to Broadway in triumph...Directed knowingly by Kenny Leon, the show’s new Broadway production is a joyous affair, broad in comedy and in spirit. Davis populates his play with deceptively familiar types (the simple-minded country girl, the loyal mammy, the villainous Confederate, the simpering Uncle Tom) who have more dimensions than expected; the actors who inhabit them take manifest delight in subverting stock figures from the inside out. It’s in the rich supporting performances that Leon’s production comes most vividly to life...And then there is Kara Young, who is simply a wonder as Lutiebelle; after terrific performances in Clyde’s and Cost of Living, she proves once again why she is one of Broadway's fastest-rising stars.
—Adam Feldman, Time Out New York -
Happily, I have no need to keep my mouth shut about Purlie Victorious...Fast, fierce and big-hearted, the show crackles with the verve of its central performances, and the play, at 62 years old, feels wittier, braver, less careful and more caring than much contemporary writing. Both unflinching and generous, it’s just about as sharp as satire gets...[Kenny] Leon keeps it flying along at a gallop, fast enough that you have to lean in, and the list of why-don’t-they-write-jokes-like-this-anymore moments is long...Good satire also has to sting, and the show’s laughter never lets us off the hook.
—Sara Holdren, New York Magazine -
Critic's Pick! Ossie Davis’s 1961 play is no period piece, as a blazing and hilarious revival starring Leslie Odom Jr. testifies...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. (In The New York Times, Howard Taubman called it “exhilarating,” “uninhibited” and “uproarious,” all in the first three paragraphs.) But even though times have surely changed—for one thing, the Cort Theater is now the James Earl Jones—everything dark in the play is still dark, and the lightness no less necessary...it’s Odom who carries the play’s weight as it shifts from genre to genre and reveals further layers of character. Part of the freedom Davis took for himself, and that [Kenny] Leon emphasizes in his staging, is the right to be many things at once, not all of them reputable.
—Jesse Green, The New York Times
Related Articles
Accessibility
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Box Office
No stairs into lobby, box office assistance available. Ticket lobby counter is 47" high. Accessible pass-through with writing shelf at 32". -
Curb Ramps
(2.5" lip) SW corner of 45th St. & Broadway; NW corner 45th St. & Broadway. -
Restroom
Unisex ADA compliant restroom available in the ticket lobby. Door 33". Stall 90" x 66". Commode 18". Grab bars -
Elevator/Escalator
None -
Entrance
Double doors in series: 1st set (each 29") has one pair of automatic doors from 45th Street to ticket lobby with push-button control; 2nd set (each 32", attended by ushers) to rear orchestra. -
Visual Assistance
Vision seats in the front of the orchestra available for purchase online, in person, or over the phone. -
Water Fountain
Ticket lobby. Spout 36" and 43". -
Assisted Listening System
Reservations are not necessary. Drivers license or ID with printed address required as a deposit. Please call: (212) 582-7678 to reserve in advance. -
Wheelchair Info
Wheelchair seating available in the orchestra section only. Theatre is not completely wheelchair accessible. -
Folding Armrests
Mobility seats with folding armrests plus companion seat available for purchase online, in person, or over the phone.
