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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Purlie Victorious
Davis, who originated the title role opposite his wife Ruby Dee, wrote the play to bring the issues of racial discrimination to audiences in the form of a sharp and clever satire. The time is the late 1950s in rural Georgia, where Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee (Stephen Patrick Martin) treats the Black workers on his cotton plantation much as his ancestors did a century earlier. Purlie Victorious Judson (Warner Miller), a self-proclaimed preacher, left the plantation where he grew up but now has returned to purchase an old barn that formerly served the workers as a church–bringing along warm-hearted Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (Danaya Esperanza). The performances could not be better, led by Miller's sly yet sincere delivery and Esperanza's wide-eyed amazement. The entire company bring great spirit and substance to their characters: Purlie's brother Gitlow (Jason Bowen), who knows how to use subservience as a weapon; his sensible wife, Missy (Kelli Blackwell); Charlie Cotchipee (John Sygar), Ol' Cap'n's son, who wants to change the way his father runs things; and Idella Landy (Lizan Mitchell), Charlie's lifelong caretaker and friend. The action takes place in two primary locations, and scenic designer Alexander Woodward has created an economical set that shifts easily between them. While the Victor Shargai Theatre is the most flexible of Studio's three primary stages, with easily movable seating and bleachers, here it's being used as an old-fashioned proscenium house including details down to a row of footlights at the edge of the stage. Cidney Forkpah has created character-defining costumes, from Ol' Cap'n's antebellum white suit to Lutiebelle's frills. Purlie Victorious runs through June 14, 2026, at Studio Theatre, Victor Shargai Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-332-3300 or visit www.studiotheatre.org. By Ossie Davis Cast: |
