Purlie

Purlie
Music	Gary Geld
Lyrics	Peter Udell
Book	Ossie Davis Philip Rose Peter Udell
Basis	Ossie Davis's play Purlie Victorious
Productions	1970 Broadway 1972 Broadway revival 1981 U.S. Television 2004 London fringe festival 2006 Broadway revival

Purlie is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell, and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis's 1961 play Purlie Victorious, which was later made into the 1963 film Gone Are the Days! and which included all of the original Broadway cast, including Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Beah Richards, and Godfrey Cambridge.

Plot

Purlie is set in an era when Jim Crow laws still were in effect in the American South. Its focus is on the dynamic, traveling preacher Purlie Victorious Judson, who 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 plantation. With the assistance of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, Purlie hopes to pry loose from Cotchipee an inheritance due his long-lost cousin and use the money to achieve his goals. Also playing a part in Purlie's plans is Cotchipee's son Charlie, who ultimately proves to be far more liberal than his Simon Legree-like father and saves the church from destruction with an act of defiance that has fatal consequences.

Production notes

Sherman Hemsley in the 1972 production.

Although Davis did not participate actively in the creation of the musical, so much of his original script was included in the final project that Peter Udell and Philip Rose felt he should share credit for the book.

After 28t previews, the Broadway production, directed by Rose and choreographed by Louis Johnson, opened on March 15, 1970 at The Broadway Theatre. It later transferred to the Winter Garden and then the ANTA Playhouse before completing its 688-performance run. The cast included Cleavon Little as Purlie, John Heffernan as Cotchipee, Melba Moore as Lutiebelle, and C. David Colson as Charlie, with Sherman Hemsley, Linda Hopkins, and Helen Martin in supporting roles. Robert Guillaume replaced Little later in the run.

The first edition of the original cast recording was released by Ampex Records;^[1] it was later re-released on RCA Victor.

After two previews, a Broadway revival directed by Philip Rose and choreographed by Johnson opened on December 27, 1972, at the Billy Rose Theatre, where it ran for fourteen performances. Guillame and Helmsley reprised their original roles, with Art Wallace as Cotchipee, Patti Jo as Lutiebelle, and Douglas Norwick as Charlie.

A 1981 television adaptation directed by Rudi Goldman starred Broadway cast members Guillaume, Moore, Hemsley, and Hopkins, with Don Scardino as Cotchipee. The production won a CableACE Award.

The first London production was a fringe theatre staging at the Bridewell Theatre in 2004. The cast included Tee Jaye as Purlie, John Lyons as Cotchipee, and Joanna Francis as Lutiebelle.^[2]

In 2005, Sheldon Epps directed a US national tour co-produced by the Pasadena Playhouse and the Goodman Theatre. His New York City Center Encores! staging that same year featured Blair Underwood, Anika Noni Rose, Lillias White, and John Cullum.^[3]

Musical numbers

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Purlie.

External links

• Purlie at the Internet Broadway Database
• Purlie at the Internet Movie Database (1981 TV production)