‘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.

The post ‘Purpose’: Toxic family blockbuster appeared first on StageZine.

Fan First Presale April 12-14

General Onsale April 15

Limited Engagement at the Hayes Theater

Performances Begin July 29, Opening August 15

NEW YORK—Tickets for Gerard Alessandrini’s Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song will go on sale as below:

·        Presale tickets for Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song are available exclusively to Audience Rewards® members from Tuesday, April 9 at 10 AM – Friday, April 12 at 9:59 AM. It’s free and fast to join at www.AudienceRewards.com.

·        A Fan First Presale from Friday, April 12 at 10 AM – Monday, April 15 at 9:59 AM; ticket buyers can sign up at ForbiddenBroadwayonBroadway.com for access.

·        The general on sale is April 15 at 10 AM through Telecharge.com.

The opening date of the Hayes Theater box office will be announced.

Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song will play at the Hayes Theater (240 West 44^th Street) this summer with performances starting on July 29 and an August 15 opening night. The limited run is through November 1.

In addition to the five-person cast including the onstage pianist, weekly guest stars will appear throughout the engagement.

The cast and the rest of the creative team will be announced.

 Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song will be created around the current and recent seasons of Broadway and will include spoofs of the new and upcoming Broadway musicals and plays like The Great Gatsby, The Notebook, Water for Elephants, Hell’s Kitchen and Back to the Future, as well as current and recent Sondheim revivals like Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Company and Merrily We Roll Along.

 Forbidden Broadway was born in 1982 in New York’s 130-seat Palsson’s Supper Club. It has gone on to play in over 200 cities around the world in venues holding thousands. The show has spawned multiple iterations with Mr. Alessandrini continually updating the material to reflect Broadway’s current slate; a few timeless evergreens remain. Almost no show has escaped the long arm of Forbidden Broadway. Alessandrini’s wit has poked at scores of shows (and their scores); actors and directors are no exception either. Being on the receiving end of his loving barbs is considered both an honor and a rite of passage by legions of theatre legends. In addition to Forbidden Broadway, Spamilton, Gerard’s spoof of the Hamilton phenomenon was a runaway hit for two years and continues to tour the US. For his work on Forbidden Broadway in all its forms, Gerard Alessandrini and the show received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre and seven Drama Desk Awards.

Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song is produced by Broadway & Beyond Theatricals (Ryan Bogner, Victoria Lang & Tracey Stroock McFarland) with John Freedson and Harriet Yellin.

Audience Rewards is the Official Rewards Program of Broadway, providing membership benefits and rewards for 3 million members and representing more than a quarter of all Broadway tickets purchased through authorized ticketing platforms. Free and easy to join, Audience Rewards allows buyers to earn ShowPoints on every ticket purchase, to be redeemed for free tickets, theater collectibles, unique experiences, and more. Founded in 2008 by a unique coalition of prominent theater owners, including Nederlander, Shubert, and Jujamcyn, major national presenters, and key performing arts centers from across the country, Audience Rewards has offered members first access presales to more than 100 Broadway shows and 200 VIP experiences and events, which have included a meet and greet with Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge, a walk-on role in Rock of Ages, a cooking class with Gavin Creel & Celia Keenan-Bolger, celebrity Q&As, backstage tours and much more.

The post ‘Forbidden Broadway on Broadway’ begins 7-29-24 appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE COTTAGE’: Laura Bell Bundy. Photo: Joan Marcus.

THE COTTAGE
Written by Sandy Rustin
Directed by Jason Alexander
Through October 29, 2023
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), www.TheCottageOnBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Sandy Rustin’s The Cottage is about as close to a Noël Coward drawing-room comedy of the 1930s as one is going to get. It’s not meant as high art. As matter of fact, it is more lowbrow— simple fare to entertain us during these stifling summer doldrums.

The plot is not so much as being complicated as it is being twisted. The play opens with Sylvia (Laura Bell Bundy) awaiting her lover Beau (Eric McCormack) and  descent from his morning ablutions. Sylvia has sent telegrams to Clarke (Alex Moffat) her husband, who also happens to be Beau’s brother, and Marjorie (Lilli Cooper) who happens to be Beau’s wife, informing them that that that they are madly in love with each other and expect to divorce each other’s spouses respectively, only to find out that Clark and Marjorie are also having an affair with each other. All this is taking place in the cottage, replete with very thick English accents.

Along the way comes Dierdre (Dana Steingold). She is having extramarital affairs with Beau and this torpedoes Sylvia. Dierdre’s husband, Richard (Nehal Joshi) is not far behind; he arrives wanting to murder Beau for stealing his wife. Upon arrival, Richard is let in to the cottage by Sylvia only to find out they were long-lost lovers ages ago.

Of course, the whole premise is preposterous, taking a cue from Noël Coward‘s Private Lives where spouses divorce, marry new people, only to find out that both couples are honeymooning in the same place.

The fun is also derived from the broad strokes of acting from Eric McCormack, playing the handsome and dashing bounder, Laura Bell Bundy as the tantalizing temptress, Alex Moffat a masterful comic and alumni from “Saturday Night Live” as the hapless husband, and Lilli Cooper delightful as ever as the pregnant wife. They are deftly directed by Jason Alexander at a breakneck pace with wonderful sight gags, and plenty of cigarettes.

It’s almost impossible to find a comedy on Broadway these days, and Neil Simon revivals are too dated to be enjoyable now, so accept this little nugget in good faith and enjoy it for all the absurdities it serves and the actors doing their best to make this unbearable summer more enjoyable.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 28, 2023
Reviewed at July 27, 2023 press performance.

‘THE COTTAGE’: Laura Bell Bundy & Eric McCormack. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE COTTAGE’: Eric McCormack. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE COTTAGE’: Lilli Cooper. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE COTTAGE’: Alex Moffat. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE COTTAGE’: Nehal Joshi. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE COTTAGE’: Dana Steingold. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘The Cottage’: Fun, lowbrow nod to Noël Coward appeared first on StageZine.

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: James Cromwell & Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

GRAND HORIZONS
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Through March 1, 2020
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
(212-541-4516), www 2ST.com

By David NouNou

Sustaining a marriage for 50 years is difficult. However, writing a good, sustainable comedy that doesn’t sound or read like a script from a TV sitcom these days is even harder. Playwright Bess Wohl has achieved this feat with Grand Horizons. Watching Nancy (Jane Alexander) and Bill (James Cromwell) for a few minutes setting up their dinner table and sitting down to eat, and Nancy nonchalantly uttering “I want a divorce,” is a wonderful starter.

Nothing is extraordinary about this situation and this doesn’t mean the play doesn’t have its shortcomings and filler, but what is extraordinary is the genuine laughter that playwright Ms. Wohl achieves. Grand Horizons is the name of the retirement home that Bill and Nancy live in. The remarkable cast elevates the material to hysterical heights.

The divorce isn’t so much about Nancy and Bill but how it affects their two sons: the older Ben (Ben McKenzie), his wife Jess (Ashley Park), and their younger son Brian (Michael Urie), a high-school drama teacher. The three are there to form an intervention against this divorce. In the process they discover their own shortcomings, the disillusionment of unhappy parents as they were growing up and their parents’ own secrets. The divorce stems from Nancy discovering Bill has been “sexting” Carla (Priscilla Lopez).

The setups aren’t new but there is a freshness to the tone. There is crispness to the dialogue, but the humor also comes with fillers. One such scene is Brian bringing a one-nighter (Maulik Pancholy) to his parents’ home. The scene is to establish Brian’s feelings about his parent’s divorce but the one-nighter is horny and isn’t interested in anything but sex. The scene has genuine truths in it, but is highly implausible.

What keeps the material afloat is the wonderful acting by an all-star cast, and I must admit I am a sucker for an all-star cast. Starting with Jane Alexander, long absent from the New York stage, making a regal comeback. Having first seen her in The Great White Hope, though the material here isn’t as compelling, she hasn’t lost her touch or command of the stage. She, like fine wine, has matured with age but is still lilting and grand.

Having seen James Cromwell in countless movies and TV shows, it’s great to finally see him on the New York stage. He is crotchety, compelling and ideal in trying to sort his life out.

Michael Urie plays another gay character here, but is absolutely beguiling as the lost son trying to make sense of it all. He touches the nerve of why he has never been able to connect with another person and wrenches the heart with his sincerity.

Priscilla Lopez as Carla, the other woman, just dazzles in her too-brief scene with Jane Alexander as they are discussing what to do with Bill, and starting to talk intimately is civility done to perfection.

Ben McKenzie, Ashley Park, and Maulik Pancholy add to the comic hysteria at various stages in bringing in their own perspective to this scenario.

Comedy is such a rare commodity these days and we are in such desperate need to laugh during these hard times. Grand Horizons hits the funny bone and is a welcome start to the New Year.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 29, 2020
Reviewed at January 28, 2020 press performance.

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Ben McKenzie & James Cromwell. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Priscilla Lopez & Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Ashley Park & Ben McKenzie. Photo:Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Michael Urie. Photo: Joan Marcus.

“GRAND HORIZONS’: James Cromwell. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Michael Urie & Maulik Pancholy. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘Grand Horizons’ a rare comic gem appeared first on StageZine.