Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Purpose, currently a Tony nominee for Best Play, has extended its Broadway run by two months, and will now continue through August 31. The show began previews February 25 and opened March 17, with Phylicia Rashad at the helm. The work was originally scheduled to conclude July 6.
The show is up for six 2025 Tony Awards, including acting nominations for nearly its entire cast along with the Best Play nod.
The Broadway bow is a transfer of a production that began at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, the work's world premiere. Though playing the Hayes, Purpose is not a Second Stage production.
The ensemble cast includes Tony winner Kara Young (Purlie Victorious), new to the production's Broadway premiere, as Aziza Houston. Also new for this go-around is LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Claudine Jasper, together with Young joining returning cast members Harry Lennix as Solomon "Sonny" Jasper, Jon Michael Hill as Nazareth "Naz" Jasper, Glenn Davis as Solomon "Junior" Jasper, and Alana Arenas as Morgan Jasper. Young, Davis, Jackson, Lennix, and Hill are all 2025 Tony Award nominees for their work. Understudies Petronia Paley, Esau Pritchett, Chris Myers, and Sojourner Brown round out the company. Casting is by Calleri Jensen Davis with original casting by JC Clementz.
The work follows an Illinois family of civil rights leaders, pastors, and congressmen—pillars of Black American politics—with secrets lying just beneath the surface. The youngest son Nazareth returns home with an uninvited friend that ultimately forces the family to reckon with itself, their faith, and the legacies of Black radicalism.
Rashad is reprising her work at the production's helm after staging the Chicago world premiere, and has reassembled her creative team for the Broadway bow. Scenic design is by Todd Rosenthal, with costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker, and sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen. Hair and wig design are by Tony honoree Nikiya Mathis, and Tiffany N. Robinson serves as production stage manager with general management by 321 Theatrical Management.
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Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
LaTanya Richardson Jackson in Purpose
LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Kara Young in Purpose
Jon Michael Hill, Kara Young, and Harry Lennix in Purpose
Glenn Davis and LaTanya Richardson Jackson in Purpose
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Glenn Davis, Kara Young, and Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
Jon Michael Hill and Glenn Davis in Purpose
Kara Young in Purpose
Alana Arenas and Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
Harry Lennix in Purpose
Jon Michael Hill and Harry Lennix in Purpose
Company of Purpose
Alana Arenas and Kara Young in Purpose
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Jon Michael Hill, Glenn Davis, and Alana Arenas in Purpose
Jon Michael Hill in Purpose
