What a night in the theater, and all by accident.
I finally got into Helen Hayes Theater — the smallest house on Broadway– to see Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Purpose,” directed by Phylicia Rashad.
“Purpose” has stars LaTanya Richardson and Harry Lennix ripping the roof off the theater as characters inspired by Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, from real life.
But before the lights went down on Todd Rosenthal’s richly appointed set, there were stars revealed in the audience: Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King were across from me on the aisle, with Gayle’s niece. Yes, they had their own bodyguard, but he was very low key and extremely friendly. Gayle was very Down to Earth considering she’s just been to space. Oprah was stunning in a white pants suit.
I’ve known Oprah since her Chicago talk show was local — we met 40 years ago which doesn’t seem possible. She was 8, and I was 6!
If that wasn’t enough, two time Tony nominee and four time Emmy winner — and one time Oscar nominee — Laurie Metcalf, famous for “Roseanne” — had the best seat in the center of the house. Metcalf has long been associated with the Steppenwolf Theater Company — where “Purpose” originated.
Later, we ran into Tony award winning actress and producer La Chanze.
That should have been enough! But the real star of the night was the play itself, which could earn Jacobs-Jenkins his second Tony in two years.
I was not such a fan of “Appropriate,” from 2023, even though it earned many raves. So I didn’t know what to expect. But “Purpose” is note perfect, a searing family comedy drama that turns “The Cosby Show” into “Macbeth.” The Jasper family is clearly inspired by Rev. Jackson and his family, and you never know what to expect.
When we meet them, the Jaspers — with their beautiful Chicago home — also seem perfect. Harry Lennix is Rev. Solomon “Sonny” Jasper, a Civil Rights leader with a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King hanging in his living room, and of himself on the balcony above. LaTanya Richardson Jasper is his “rock” of a wife who’s seen it all.
They have two sons: “Junior,” (Glenn Davis) who has just been sprung from a country club prison for tax evasion, and a younger one, Nazareth “Nas” Jasper, (the exceptional Jon Michael Hill) the narrator of the play.
The family is joined by Junior’s sarcastic but sympathetic wife, Morgan (Alana Arenas), and Aziza, a young woman who comes to stir up trouble (an off the charts Kara Young).
Rashad could have let this group get out of hand. But she’s molded the Jaspers with precision timing, turning them into one of the most believable families I’ve seen on stage in a long time. Jacobs-Jenkins has used Young’s interloper as the same device as Elle Fanning’s bright young thing in “Appropriate,” but now drawn even more sharply. Once they are all on stage, you can see Rashad has not come to play. She means business.
Even as this group rises and falls, and nearly shred each other to ruin, there are many big laughs. Jacobs-Jenkins — inserting a lot of contemporary language and expressions — knows when and how to lighten things up. He leavens his gasp inducing revelations with just enough deep guffaws that no matter how rotten the Jaspers’ peeled off onion becomes, we’re still rooting for them to make it.
The play — the only one I’ve seen this season without video contrivances to bolster it — is one of the few not to be missed. All five cast members should be up for Tony Awards soon. LaTanya Richardson (she’s also married to Samuel L. Jackson) is an accomplished actress and director. Lennix is back on stage after 17 years, with three decades’ worth of major TV and movie performances. But now their time has come!
