Theater Review. Purlie Victorious

The problem with "Purlie Victorious" at The Music Box is two fold. The first problem is that director Kenny Leon has some of the actors at time inaudible; most strikingly so is Kara Young (Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins). While Leon reaches desperately for the laughs, many of the jokes are not heard among the audience and we are constantly playing catch up to try to hear where we are in this farce that at times is slow and flat. The second problem is that the play is confusing. We are never sure if we are in the early 60"s or whether we are at the turn of the 19th century.

The book by Ossie Davis has the audience wondering where they are in time. He mentions Martin Luther King but the Ol' Cap (Jay O. Sanders) talks to his slaves as he does. His son, Charlie (Noah Robbins) is very miscast; he has not one ounce of Southern in him... he is more New York City Jewish than a true Southern boy.

"Purlie" is not all lost, however, Leslie Odom Jr. as Purlie Victorious, Billy Eugene Jones as Gitlow Judson, Heather Alicia Simms as Missy Judson are all excellent. But even these actors cannot carry the play that has its setting on a cotton plantation in the old South and has the time in the recent past. Some of the other positives are the set design by Derek McLane, the lighting by Adam Honore and the costume design by Emilio Sosa.

The play is almost two hours without intermission. At the center of the show it becomes very slow and lackluster. As it picks up steam from the mid point, it never really has a great climax nor a fulfilling falling action. The play never gains solid traction and is one that can be missed especially with a great fall lineup coming to Broadway.

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