Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch | FULL EPISODE

Watch more: https://to.pbs.org/greatperformances| #greatperformancespbs Winning the 2024 Tony Award for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play” for Kara Young’s role as Lutiebelle Gussie May Jenkins, the Emmy-winning performing arts series Great Performances presents Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. The revival of Ossie Davis’ groundbreaking 1961 play also received 2024 Tony Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Leslie Odom, Jr.), Best Direction of a Play (Kenny Leon), Best Costume Design of a Play (Emilio Sosa), and Best Scenic Design of a Play (Derek McLane). The comedic play tells the story of a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner. Written by Kennedy Center honoree Ossie Davis with direction by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon (“A Raisin in the Sun”), this first Broadway revival was recorded live at the Music Box Theatre on January 24-26, 2024. Purlie Victorious made its original debut on Broadway in 1961 and starred Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Godfrey Cambridge, Sorrell Booke and Beah Richards. With Leslie Odom, Jr. in the title role, the cast also features Billy Eugene Jones (Gitlow Judson), Jay O. Sanders (Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee), Heather Alicia Simms (Missy Judson), Vanessa Bell Calloway (Idella Landy), Noah Robbins (Charlie Cotchipee), Noah Pyzik (The Deputy), Bill Timoney (The Sheriff) and Kara Young (Lutiebelle Gussie May Jenkins). Purlie Victorious mirrors playwright Ossie Davis’ personal journey, growing up in racially segregated Georgia, to challenge oppressive white authority in the South and beyond. Using his art to both entertain and educate, some of the atrocities addressed in the play, such as the harsh use of racial slurs and references to attacks like a young man getting his head dipped in a bucket of syrup, are pulled directly from Davis’ own upbringing. Please like & subscribe now if you enjoyed: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZri-Y6aBcTFrxYMF_ghXQA This program is made possible by viewers like you. Please support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate/ Watch full episodes and more: http://www.pbs.org/greatperformances Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pbsgreatperformances/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/greatperformances Newsletter: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/newsletter/ #GreatPerformancesPBS ----------------- The only continuing primetime performance showcase on American television, Great Performances presents a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries. With its programs garnering 67 Emmy Awards and six George Foster Peabody Awards, the series has received every major television honor. Regardless of geographic or economic limitations, Great Performances ensures its audiences “the best seats in the house” with a roster of artists and performing arts companies that represent a “Who’s Who” of excellence and virtuosity in the international performing arts.