‘GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES’: Nicholas Braun & Kara Young. Photo: Emilio Madrid.

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES
By Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Neil Pepe
Through December 28, 2025
Lucille Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher St.
https://www.gruesomeplaygroundinjuries.com/

By Scott Harrah

Love literally hurts in this powerful revival of Rajiv Joseph’s one-act play Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Lucille Lortel.

Mr. Joseph’s two-character play was last produced in New York in 2011 at Second Stage Theatre, starring Pablo Schreiber and Jennifer Carpenter. Now, Tony-nominated director Neil Pepe has brought the show back to Off-Broadway with two acting powerhouses in the lead roles: two-time Tony Award winner Kara Young (Purpose and Purlie Victorious) and three-time Emmy Award nominee Nicholas Braun (“Succession”), playing Kayleen and Doug, respectively. Over a 30-year span, we see how the childhood friends’ lives intersect through a series of bizarre physical and emotional injuries.

Three decades of an unusual friendship

The story centers on three decades of a highly unconventional friendship. Its nonlinear structure shifts across different time periods, with both characters ranging in age from eight to 38. Nearly every scene depicts Doug and Kayleen discussing an accident, illness, or incident that has caused yet another wound. Supertitles projected onstage introduce each vignette with grisly labels such as “1. Eight: Face Split Open,” “2. Twenty-three: Eye Blown Out by Firework,” and “5. Eighteen: Pink Eye.”

Doug & Kayleen

Doug is a tall, socially awkward milquetoast who frequently gets into accidents and often harms himself, resulting in a parade of external injuries.

Kayleen, meanwhile, is a petite, nervous young woman who bottles up her emotions, and her anguish often overwhelms her physically. She suffers from assorted stomach and digestive ailments and cuts herself with razor blades to externalize the emotional turmoil she cannot express.

They first meet in an elementary school nurse’s office. Over the 90-minute one-act, their encounters take place everywhere from hospital rooms to a mental institution to a funeral home. Throughout the decades, Doug harbors a massive crush on Kayleen and is infatuated with her. Unfortunately, she insists she feels nothing for him. Despite her indifference, Doug remains unable to abandon his unrequited love, and the pair sustains a symbiotic, co-dependent friendship for years.

Dysfunctional bond

Gruesome Playground Injuries explores how some people use physical pain and self-harm to cope with trauma and psychological chaos. Through their many wounds and tragedies, Doug and Kayleen form a dysfunctional bond steeped in codependency and angst.

The tone is psychologically complex and disturbing, reminiscent of Tennessee Williams’s darker works such as Outcry, Something Cloudy, Something Clear, and Camino Real.

Sparse set, eerie lighting & clever makeup design

The sparse set by scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado consists of a single, versatile room. Eerie lighting by Japhy Weideman, sound design by David Van Tieghem, and clever makeup work by Brian Strumwasser evoke a constant sense of desperation and vividly convey the characters’ many injuries.

Superlative performances

Veteran director Neil Pepe elicits outstanding performances from both Mr. Braun and Ms. Young. As these “scar-crossed” would-be lovers, they possess rare, magnetic chemistry.

Kara Young is consistently a high-strung spitfire and, despite her petite frame, commands the stage with imposing presence. She brings jittery allure and striking fragility to the role.

Nicholas Braun proved his range playing Greg on “Succession,” portraying a socially awkward outsider among ruthless billionaires. As Doug, Mr. Braun brings quiet humility, dignity, and nonstop tension to the character. Braun’s nuanced portrayal makes Doug deeply sympathetic, and we root for him to overcome life’s many obstacles.

Ambiguous ending

Gruesome Playground Injuries concludes with an ambiguous and somewhat unsatisfying ending, leaving us wondering what will become of these two lost souls. Given its serious themes, it is hardly light holiday fare. However, fans of Nicholas Braun or Kara Young will not be disappointed by the emotional fireworks these two extraordinary performers ignite onstage.

Published November 23, 2025
Reviewed at press preview on November 18, 2025

‘GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES’: Nicholas Braun & Kara Young. Photo: Emilio Madrid.

‘GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES’: (left) Nicholas Braun & (right) Kara Young & Nicholas Braun. Photos: Emilio Madrid.

‘GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES’: (top) Kara Young & (bottom) Nicholas Braun & Kara Young. Photos: Emilio Madrid.

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‘PURPOSE’: (left to right) LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Glenn Davis, Kara Young & Jon Michael Hill. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

PURPOSE
By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Phylicia Rashad
Through August 31, 2025
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 W 44th St.
https://purposeonbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play last year with the hit dysfunctional-family drama Appropriate. Now, he’s scored with another engrossing blockbuster about a toxic family, Purpose.

The story focuses on the famous Jaspers, an influential, affluent African-American family in Chicago. The Jaspers are renowned for their political influence and religion. Patriarch Solomon “Sonny” Jasper (Harry Lennix) is a former Civil Rights leader who now works as a pastor and beekeeper. He and his affable but tough-as-nails wife Claudine (LaTanya Richardson Jackson) have both helped the Jasper family make a good name for themselves, and they will do anything to maintain their respectable image. Claudine has a law degree, but she doesn’t really practice law and instead works as a socialite for human rights and various Black causes.

Meet the Jasper family

Purpose unfolds with narrator Nazareth or “Naz” Jasper (Jon Michael Hill) as he just returned home from New York with uninvited friend Aziza (Kara Young).  Naz is the youngest son and has dropped out of divinity school. He explains the family’s many shortcomings and the conflicts that ultimately result when everyone gets together for a reunion.

The play has ongoing themes of social prominence, social and racial justice, identity and faith. The story is not exactly anything new or original, but it rings with veracity and reality regardless.

Highbrow soap opera

The story unfurls like a highbrow soap opera as we meet the many troubled and flawed family members.

First, there’s Junior (Glenn Davis), the older son and politician who has just been released from prison after being convicted of mismanaging campaign funds. His fashionable wife Morgan (Alana Arenas) is in trouble and will soon do time behind bars for helping her husband with his crime.

The other character, Aziza, is not a family member. She’s the high-spirited, earthbound outsider from Harlem and is initially impressed by meeting the famous Jasper clan, but she soon learns the family is not as glamorous as they seem.

Dysfunctional dinner

Sparks fly when everyone sits down to dinner and Junior starts talking about incarceration reform. Sonny is not pleased that his oldest son has little interest in carrying on his legacy. The father is also unhappy that Naz has decided to become a nature photographer instead of a pastor.

When questions about Naz’s sexuality are raised, Aziza reveals that she is hoping to have a child with him, but marriage is not in the plans because she only wants Naz as a sperm donor. It would be unfair to reveal anymore because what’s most enjoyable about Purpose is hearing all the juicy secrets the family members reveal though arguing, complete with razor-sharp dialogue that is crisp, biting and often hilarious in a dark way.

Lies & deceit

The story is about the lies and deceit famous families spin, all to keep up appearances and maintain good PR in the media. The Jaspers could be the African-American Kennedys, and Sonny is a composite of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Dr. King’s portrait hangs prominently in the Jaspers’ living room) and countless other Civil Rights leaders.

Seamless direction & great cast

The show has so many good elements, from the outstanding scenic design of Todd Rosenthal to Phylicia Rashad’s seamless direction. Ms. Rashad gets great performance from everyone in the gifted cast.

Harry Lennix is perfect as Solomon, with his imposing voice and command of the stage. LaTanya Richardson Jackson is equally powerful as his scheming and manipulative wife, Claudine.

Jon Michael Hill is best known for his roles on the network TV shows “Elementary,” “Detroit 1-8-7,” “Law and Order: SVU” and the HBO series “Eastbound and Down.” As a stage actor, he is first-rate, acting as both narrator and the youngest member of the Jasper family. His scenes between his father Solomon and with older brother Junior are consistently convincing and sublime.

Superb supporting cast

Supporting cast members are all excellent as well. Glenn Davis is always riveting as the failed politician Junior. As long-suffering wife Morgan, Alana Arenas gives a knockout performance. Her shouting match at the dinner table is one of the show’s highlights, and she commands instant respect—and fear—when she has a meltdown.

Tony Award winner Kara Young (who won Best Actress for a Featured Role in a Play for Purlie last year) proves she’s a rising star to keep watching on Broadway. Ms. Young manages to make her character Aziza one of the only sane people in the show. She also has some of the best lines and dialogue, delivering them with aplomb and getting many laughs from the audience.

The play was originally produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, and Purpose deserves a decent run on Broadway. It’s an insightful, sometimes over-the-top but never dull evening of family drama at its best.

Published March 24, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on March 20, 2025

‘PURPOSE’: Jon Michael Hill & Harry Lennix. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: Jon Michael Hill & Glenn Davis. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: Kara Young. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: Jon Michael Hill. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: Alana Arenas & Kara Young. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: Harry Lennix. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: Jon Michael Hill, Kara Young & Harry Lennix. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURPOSE’: Glenn Davis & LaTanya Richardson. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

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‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Leslie Odom, Jr. & Kara Young. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

PURLIE VICTORIOUS: A NON-CONFEDERATE ROMP THROUGH THE COTTON PATCH
Written by Ossie Davis
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through January 28, 2024

Music Box Theatre

239 West 45th Street
(212-719-6200), www.PurlieVictorious.com

By David NouNou

Originally written and produced in 1961, this is the first revival of Ossie Davis’s play Purlie Victorious, written for himself and his wife, Ruby Dee. Mr. Davis played the title role and Ms. Dee played Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins. I am sure that version was played in earnest seriousness about the remnants of slavery, working on a plantation in the South for the racist white master who has inflicted pain, misery, and cheated them at every turn. Yet they still had to appear grateful that they had a job and had to praise the bigot endlessly for his tyranny.

Spirited preacher Purlie Victorious Judson (Leslie Odom, Jr.) returns to his small Georgia town hoping to save Big Bethel, the community’s church, and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s (Jay O. Sanders) plantation. Purlie hopes to swindle Cotchipee of the $500 inheritance due to his long-lost dead cousin’s daughter. With the help of Lutiebelle (Kara Young), Purlie makes her play the daughter and use the money to achieve his goals. Ol’ Cotchipee has a son, Charlie (Noah Robbins), who sees things differently than his father. Charlie actually sees and understands the Black plight, and comes to their defense.

Director Kenny Leon has taken a different view of the proceedings. He has updated the plight to comic effect, and in one instance, it resembles a scene from Mack Sennett’s silent film series Keystone Kops. This does not diminish the message, but releases some humor for contemporary audiences.

Leslie Odom, Jr.—absent from Broadway since his Tony Award-winning role as Aaron Burr in the blockbuster musical Hamilton—is dynamic as Purlie. His performance is spirited and forceful and he believes in the cause for which he is fighting.

Two-time Tony Award nominee Kara Young as Lutiebelle will get her third consecutive nomination, and I can’t imagine her losing this time around. She is a force of nature and delivers another indelible performance.

The two most heartfelt and genuine performances belong to Vanessa Bell Calloway (Idella Landy) who has been a servant to the Ol’ Capn’ for more than 40 years and genuinely cares for his son Charlie. The second outstanding performance is given by Noah Robbins as Charlie, a young man who sees the injustices done by his father. Both their performances are so sincere, and neither pander for a cheap laugh. The laughs come from their sincerity. A footnote here: The role of Charlie Cotchipee was originally played by Alan Alda in 1961.

Purlie Victorious is not to be confused with the 1970 Broadway musical Purlie, with the late Sherman Helmsley (George in TV’s “The Jeffersons”) as Gitlow Judson, the late Cleavon Little as Purlie (he won a Tony for the role), and R&B star Melba Moore as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (she also won a Tony for her role). The musical was adapted from the play.

Purlie Victorious holds the test of time, and the issues are just as relevant as they were back in 1961. They are just as potent, but director Kenny Leon deftly helps the cast extract  humor from Ossie Davis’ play in this current revival to underscore the absurdity and injustice of racism in both the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published September 29, 2023
Reviewed at September 28, 2023 press performance.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Leslie Odom, Jr. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Kara Young & Heather Alicia Simms. Photo Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Noah Robbins & Vanessa Bell Calloway. Photo: Marc J. Franklin

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: (l to r): Kara Young, Heather Alicia Simms, Leslie Odom, Jr., Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones & Noah Robbins. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Leslie Odom, Jr. & Kara Young. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: Heather Alicia Simms & Billy Eugene Jones. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘PURLIE VICTORIOUS’: The cast. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

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‘COST OF LIVING’: David Zayas & Katy Sullivan. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

COST OF LIVING
Written by Martyna Majok
Directed by Jo Bonney
Through October 30, 2022
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

By David NouNou

Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for drama, Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living is a poignant and touching play that is so ethereal in nature but wallops a heartbreaking punch to the guts. Everything seems and feels real. Everyone has the need to have someone in their life that with whom they can interact and communicate.

Cost of Living examines the relationship of two couples, where in each case one is disabled and the other is able. Eddie (David Zayas) is an unemployed truck driver whose ex-wife, Ani (Katy Sullivan) became a quadriplegic following a tragic accident. John (Gregg Mozgala) is a graduate student with cerebral palsy and has hired Jess (Kara Young) as his caregiver.

The scenes take place at different times. Eddie is in a bar on a Friday night recalling the texts his wife used to send him. In a different scene, Jess is being interviewed by John and needs the job of caregiver desperately. Both Eddie and Jess are extremely lonely, and both have a need to fill their lives. They both need a reason to survive another day. Extraordinary events take place, some real, some by invention of the mind. Their experiences are extremely real and palpable to each which brings them to an intersection to the truth and to connect.

What’s extraordinary for the audience is twofold. The play begs us to ask the question, “What is the cost of living, especially when you can’t put a price on it?” They must connect the dots to reality as well as experience the palpable and heart-wrenching performances given by the four cast members: Gregg Mozgala, Katy Sullivan, Kara Young, and David Zayas. They are further abetted by the excellent and seamless direction provided by Jo Bonney.

There is a haunting quality to Cost of Living that lingers long after leaving the show, and that is the true gift of a night well spent in the theater.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 7, 2022
Reviewed at October 6, 2022 press performance.

‘COST OF LIVING’: Gregg Mozgala & Kara Young. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘COST OF LIVING’: Gregg Mozgala. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘COST OF LIVING’: Kara Young. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘COST OF LIVING’: Katy Sullivan. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘COST OF LIVING’: Katy Sullivan & David Zayas. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

‘COST OF LIVING’: Gregg Mozgala & Kara Young. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

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‘CLYDE’S’: Uzo Aduba & (left to right) Kara Young, Ron Cephas Jones, Edmund Donovan & Reza Salazar. Photo: Joan Marcus.

CLYDE’S
Written by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
Through January 16, 2022
The Helen Hayes Theatre
240 West 44th Street
(212-541-4516), https://www 2ST.com

By David NouNou

To call Clyde’s the best play of the season might not sound much of a compliment, considering the slim pickings that were offered this year, but let me assure you it can stand on its own merits in any season. It is a thought-provoking play peppered with laughs about hell, purgatory, dreams and hopes.

Clyde’s is set in a truck-stop sandwich shop in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It’s a modern-day purgatory. Run by the devil incarnate Clyde (Uzo Aduba), it is a place for former incarcerated inmates upon release to work and make some money to restart their lives. Clyde was once incarcerated herself because of a man that did her wrong, and she made sure he isn’t around to talk about it. She knows the system and worked out the deal. Thus, working long hard hours for very little pay, that’s the deal with Clyde because there is nowhere else for inmates to work or get paid. Do the job as told—or back in the clink you go.

In this hellhole work four former incarcerated people, their crimes ranging from petty larceny to assault:  Montrellous (Ron Cephas Jones) is the oldest and wisest who tries to keep hope alive. Jason (Edmund Donovan) is the tattooed-all-over loner who doesn’t fit in anywhere. Rafael (Reza Salazar) is the aspiring sous-chef with a positive attitude. Finally, there is the feisty Letitia (Kara Young) whose crime was stealing medicine to keep her baby alive. They are four misfits indeed, all of whom ultimately come together by having a dream in their spare time to talk about making the perfect sandwich.

There really isn’t much time for daydreaming or hoping because the dragon lady, Clyde, is there at every turn to make sure their dreams are crushed and there is nowhere to go but further down. From this misery comes people of diverse identities, forming this bond to keep their hopes and dreams alive and a feeling a self-worth. They feel that their past doesn’t have to constantly identify them.

Although this is an ensemble piece, director Kate Whoriskey makes sure every actor and movement on stage is meticulously timed. Just watch the inmates working around this hellhole of a kitchen, with a great set by Takeshi Kata; navigating through it is almost choreographic.

Uzo Aduba’s Clyde is phenomenal—whether berating the employees or pulverizing their souls and making sure they never get a break with anything—she rules. Her costumes by Jennifer Moeller are a drag queen’s fantasy.

Ron Cephas Jones imbues Montrellous with so much dignity that when he describes making a perfect sandwich, you are transformed in his dream. Mr. Cephas Jones, Edmund Donavan, Reza Salazar and Kara Young all mesh together seamlessly as an ethnically diverse group of actors and give performances that complement each other perfectly.

Is there such a thing as the perfect sandwich?  Depends on your taste, but I can assure you Lynn Nottage is offering us a devilishly delicious one with Clyde’s.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 27, 2021
Reviewed at November 26, 2021 press performance.

‘CLYDES’: Reza Salazar, Kara Young, Ron Cephas Jones & Edmund Donovan. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘CLYDE’S’: Reza Salazar & Kara Young. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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