In “Purlie”, the South will rise again, but not the same old South

By Allen Neuner

The American Theater Group, in conjunction with the Union County Performing Arts Center, has come up with a surprisingly lively production of the musical Purlie, and it is a treat! Based on Ossie Davis’ play Purlie Victorious, the show traces the battle of wits and wills between self-styled “new-fangled preacher man” Purlie Victorious Judson and Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee, a hidebound holdover from the glory days of the Old South. You may think you know the inevitable outcome, but the book, by Davis with Philip Rose and Peter Udell, has enough suspense to hold our attention during the seemingly one-sided battle between proponents of the Old South and the New South. 

Purlie (Timothy Ware-Hill) has arrived back at his family home in rural Georgia with gawky former lady's maid Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins (Aeja Barrows). He plans to use Lutiebell to trick Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee (Tom Souhrada) into giving him the means to get back his grandfather’s old church, a converted barn named “Big Bethel”. His sister-in-law Missy (Nicole Powell) is supportive, but his brother Gitlow (Tyson Jennette) is content with just being Ol’ Cap’n’s flunky. Ol’ Cap’n’s son Charlie (Ryan Bronston) is an ineffectual troubadour, supportive of the general cause of black civil rights but useless at making progress happen. Ol’ Cap’n’s long time housemaid, Idella (Virginia Woodruff), is the only one who can get away with wry comments about the vituperous reprobate, but she, like all the other blacks in town, has to contend with Ol’ Cap’n’s iron-clad grip on the county.

It is a pleasure for any reviewer to see a new talent emerge. This Purlie introduces the gifted Aeja Barrows, who brings Lutiebelle to comedic life in all her gawky glory. She is so palpably in love, it would be embarrassing to see if it wasn’t so damn funny to watch. And then Barrows surprises you with her vocal power, turning “I Got Love” into an ecstatic outburst of joy, and making the title song “Purlie” a warm caramel-and- chocolate-coated expression of her determination to wed this man she loves. Ware-Hill unveils his own vocal pyrotechnics in his song of self-promotion, “New Fangled Preacher Man”, as well as in his exhortations on the subjects of Negro pride and black civil rights. The ensemble shines in the two act-opening songs, the gospel-tinged “Walk Him Up the Stairs” and the sharecroppers’ song of suppressed discontent and despair “First Thing Monday Morning”. The entire score, by composer Gary Geld and lyricist Peter Udell, rings true to the characters singing it and the time and place in which the show is set.

Purlie, as directed and choreographed by the gifted Kenny Ingram, manages to wed broad humor to the serious theme of rights denied and deferred way too long. It is an uplifting show, although you may later wonder whatever happened to all that energy and spirit from the 70’s, when this musical first appeared, or from the early 60’s when Davis’ original play debuted. For a somewhat nostalgic but constantly inventive and lively time in the theatre, just sit back in your seats and feel the spirit of those times roll over you at Purlie!

Purlie is presented by the American Theater Group in partnership with the Union County Performing Arts Center at the Hamilton Stage in Rahway through Mar. 23, 2025. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to americantheatergroup.org.