# Purlie Victorious

Purlie Victorious (A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch) is a three-act comedic stage play written by American actor Ossie Davis. The play tells the fictional story of Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson, a dynamic traveling preacher returning to his hometown in rural Georgia, to save his small hometown church. The play—starring Davis himself in the title role—premiered on Broadway in 1961 and ran for 261 performances.
The play was revived on Broadway in 2023 at the Music Box Theatre directed by Kenny Leon, marking the first major New York production of the play since the original production closed in 1962.

## Synopsis

The 2023 revival performs the show without intermission.
Act I
Purlie Victorious Judson returns to his small hometown in Georgia, with Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins and a plan to win back his family inheritance from Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee, the plantation owner. Purlie’s dream is to buy back Big Bethel, the community’s church, so that he can preach freedom to the cotton pickers. Purlie shares his plan with his brother Gitlow and sister-in-law Missy, who despite their initial skepticism agree to help. Later that afternoon, in the back office of the village commissary, Idella is tending to Charlie, Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s son, who got a black eye in a barroom brawl the previous night over his support of racial integration. Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee does not share or respect his son’s progressive values and arrives to punish Charlie. Charlie distracts his father by delivering the cotton and commissary reports. Every negro family is in debt, and Charlie challenges his father’s “cheating” ways. Ol’ Cap’n becomes agitated, and Charlie holds his ground; Gitlow comes into the commisary and gives evasive answers when Ol' Cap'n asks him whether or not he joins Charlie in supporting racial integration. Ol’ Cap’n runs him off and then collapses due to the stress; Gitlow tries to comfort him by singing old spirituals.
Act II
It is time for Purlie’s plan. Gitlow lets Purlie and Lutiebelle into the back door of the commissary. Lutiebelle is dressed up as Purlie’s deceased Cousin Bee, whom she will pretend to be to win back the family inheritance. Purlie and Lutiebelle rehearse one last time before Ol’ Cap’n arrives. All does not go according to plan, but Purlie jumps in and wins Ol’ Cap’n over with flattery. Ol' Cap'n agrees to give the money, but when he asks Lutiebelle to sign a receipt, Lutiebelle accidentally signs her real name, rather than signing as Cousin Bee. This exposes their ruse, and a fight ensues. The sheriff is called, but Purlie and Lutiebelle escale.
Two days later, Purlie returns to Missy and Gitlow’s shack. Idella is there looking for Charlie, who is missing. Missy thanks her for getting Ol’ Cap’n to drop the charges against Purlie and encourages Purlie to ask Lutiebelle to marry him. He is determined to get his Church back. Gitlow returns bragging that he has secured the $500 inheritance from Ol’ Cap’n, in exchange for Lutiebelle working at the house. Purlie fumes. Lutiebelle enters in a disheveled state. Ol’ Cap’n has cornered her in the pantry. Furious, Purlie heads up to the house to confront Ol’ Cap’n.
Act III
Later that night, Lutiebelle and Missy wait at the shack for Purlie to return. Gitlow arrives without news. He suspects Purlie has fled rather than confront Ol’ Cap’n. Lutiebelle and Missy worry. Finally, Purlie returns with $500 and Ol’ Cap’n’s bull whip. Purlie tells the others how he sought vengeance on Ol’ Cap’n. The others celebrate his victory until Idella arrives and reveals the truth about how Purlie has secured the money. During a final confrontation with Ol' Cap'n, it is revealed that when Charlie purchased Big Bethel, against his father's orders, he registered the deed in Purlie's name, shocking Ol' Cap'n into dying of a heart attack.
Epilogue
The play concludes with Purlie at the pulpit in Big Bethel during a funeral for Ol' Cap'n, offering a unique and heartfelt blessing for unity and freedom for all.

## Notable casts

| Character | Broadway | Broadway Revival |
| Character | 1961 | 2023 |
| Purlie Victorious Judson | Ossie Davis | Leslie Odom Jr. |
| Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins | Ruby Dee | Kara Young |
| Charley Cotchipee | Alan Alda | Noah Robbins |
| Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee | Sorrell Booke | Jay O. Sanders |
| Gitlow Judson | Godfrey Cambridge | Billy Eugene Jones |
| Missy Judson | Helen Martin | Heather Alicia Simms |
| Idella Landy | Beah Richards | Vanessa Bell Calloway |
| The Deputy | Roger C. Carmel | Noah Pyzik |
| The Sheriff | Ci Herzog | Bill Timoney |

### Understudies
#### 1961 Broadway Production

* Melvin Stewart, standby for Purlie Victorious Judson and Gitlow Judson
* Gail Fisher, standby for Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
* Mervyn Williams, standby for Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee
* Gloria Foster, standby for Idella Landy and Missy Judson
* Michael Lord, standby for Charley Cotchipee and The Deputy
* John Sillings, standby for The Sheriff

#### 2023 Broadway Production

* Donald Webber Jr., standby for Purlie Victorious Judson
* Brandi Porter, standby for Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
* Melvin Abston, standby for Gitlow Judson
* Willa Bost, standby for Missy Judson and Idella Landy
* Bill Timoney, understudy for Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee
* Noah Pyzik, understudy for Charlie Cotchipee and The Sheriff
* The role of The Deputy is cut if Pyzik is indisposed or on for an understudy track.

## History

The play premiered in 1961 on Broadway, initially at the Cort Theatre, before finishing out its 261-performance run at the Longacre Theatre. The production was nominated for one Tony Award for Godfrey Cambridge in the category Best Featured Actor in a Play. The production was directed by Howard da Silva, produced by Philip Rose, and costumed by Ann Roth. Martin Luther King Jr. was photographed with the cast after attending a performance, at their 100th performance celebration.
After the New York production closed in May 1962, Davis and Dee took the play on tour, premiering it in Chicago July 9 through August 5, 1962 at the Edgewater Beach Playhouse.
A filmed version of the play, titled Gone Are the Days! was released in 1963. Davis, Dee, Cambridge, Richards, Alda, and Brooke reprised their roles from the Broadway production.
In 1970, with little involvement from Davis, his play was turned into a Broadway musical, titled Purlie. The production was well received and was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical.
In 2002, an industry reading was held by Davis and theater producer Jeffrey Richards, cast with Ruby Dee in the role of Idella Landy, Harold Perrineau ("Oz") as Purlie Victorious, Kerri Washington as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, George Grizzard as Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee, Robert Sella as Charley Cotchipee, Erick Devine as the Sheriff, Andrew McGinn as the Deputy, Doug E. Doug as Gitlow and Whoopi Goldberg as Missy Judson.
The play was revived on Broadway in a production directed by Kenny Leon that stars Leslie Odom Jr., Kara Young, and Vanessa Bell Calloway. It began previews at the Music Box Theatre on September 7, 2023 and officially opened on September 27 for a limited engagement through January 7, 2024. It was later extended through February 4.

## Televised performance

A television capture of the 2023 Broadway Revival was filmed at the Music Box Theatre on January 23rd, 2024, and aired on May 24, 2024 as part of the PBS Great Performances series, with the original 2023 Broadway cast. Producer and cast member Leslie Odom Jr. was responsible for initiating the process and funding most of the production costs.

## Critical reception

The 2023 Broadway revival received critical acclaim.
Jesse Green of The New York Times wrote, "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", referencing Howard Taubman's initial 1961 review calling the play "exhilarating," "uninhibited" and "uproarious," all in the first three paragraphs.
Tim Teeman of The Daily Beast wrote, "Ossie Davis' Purlie Victorious (A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch) is both uproarious satire and cultural gut punch—with the biggest clue in its lead character's name and the play's title."
Greg Evans of Deadline praised the casting, stating "Starring a magnificent Leslie Odom, Jr., in the title role, and featuring equally fine performances by an enchanting Kara Young, Billy Eugene Jones, Vanessa Bell Calloway and more, Purlie Victorious [...] has been given an urgent—and, oh yes, very, very funny—revival by Leon and his top-notch creative team.

## Accolades
### 1961 Broadway production

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
| 1961 | Tony Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Godfrey Cambridge | Nominated | |

### 2024 Broadway revival

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Best Revival of a Play | Nominated |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Kenny Leon | Nominated |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play | Kara Young | Won |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Derek McLane | Nominated |
| 2024 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Emilio Sosa | Nominated |
| 2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated |
| 2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| 2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Kara Young | Nominated |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Billy Eugene Jones | Nominated |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Kara Young | Won |
| 2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play (Broadway of Off-Broadway) | Kenny Leon | Nominated |
| 2024 | New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards | Special Citation | Special Citation | Honored |
| 2024 | Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | Favorite Performance of the Year (Play) | Leslie Odom Jr. | Won |
| 2024 | Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | Favorite Leading Actor in a Play | Leslie Odom Jr. | Won |