Commissioned by Steppenwolf Theatre Company and now in its Broadway premiere for a limited engagement at the Hayes Theater, Purpose, by Tony-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – markedly inspired by the scandalous behind-the-scenes conduct of Jesse Jackson and his family – examines the toxic, hilarious, and revealing weekend reunion at the stately Chicago home of the Jaspers, decades-long leaders of Black American politics, civil rights, faith, and duty, with shocking secrets that come to light, create cracks in their already shaky bond, and threaten their influential public legacy. Combining razor-sharp direct-address meta-theatrical commentary with lively enactments of the characters’ dysfunctional relationships and out-of-control conflicts, the play marks the brilliant directorial debut of two-time Tony winner Phylicia Rashad, with her consummate staging of the laughs, intrigue, and poignancy of the story’s comical observations and over-the-top behavior, ultimate reckoning and ongoing quest to find purpose.
A stellar cast of six masterfully delivers all the sardonic humor, explosive anger, and wily subterfuge of the characters, as the gathering – intended to celebrate the matriarch’s belated birthday and the eldest son’s release from prison for embezzlement during his term as a state senator – becomes increasingly heated, their true personalities and motivations rise to the surface, and chaos ensues, as recounted from the acerbic perspective of the younger son, a divinity school dropout turned nature photographer, who is unintentionally joined by his best friend, a lesbian for whom he just confidentially served as a sperm donor (via a high-end Williams Sonoma turkey baster), contrary to the moral values preached by his Reverend father and his church – as is just about everything else that transpires in this spot-on caustic comedy.
The sensational Jon Michael Hill turns in a thoroughly engaging performance in his lead role as the second son and narrator Naz (short for Nazareth), setting the scenes of the memory play with funny background information and setting the tone with mordant asides. Those include his warning to us to “Buckle up,” as the dinner party rapidly crashes, as does his initially happy mood, and he is drawn into an emotional outburst that is indicative of the unbridled familial discord, but is completely contrary to his witty, insightful, and contemplative nature. The irresistible Kara Young, one of the brightest stars on the NYC stage, brings her inimitable comic timing, vocal inflections, and body language to her evolving portrayal of his bestie Aziza, invited by his mother, who mistakenly assumes they’re dating, to spend the night, rather than drive back to NYC in the snowstorm raging outside. At first a seemingly ditzy and starstruck fangirl – surprised to find out that the iconic Reverend is Naz’s father, exclaiming how he inspired her, relaying her memories of his portrait hanging at her school with the other legendary leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, and taking a selfie with him and Naz – she soon shows amusingly obvious signs of being disturbed by the vicious in-fighting of her hosts, and finally makes the smart and well-considered decision to remove herself from the fiery discord.
Harry Lennix as the retired Reverend Solomon – the stern, vain, and belittling patriarch of the Jaspers, who has recently taken up the hobby of beekeeping – is delighted to hear Aziza’s praise, but is, in fact, an embodiment of the rampant hypocrisy that permeates his family, lashing out at his namesake son for tarnishing their reputation and demanding truth from the others, while perpetuating lies and the non-disclosure of his own past indiscretions, and simultaneously plotting to cover up theirs. LaTanya Richardson Jackson as his wife Claudine commands the family, and the stage, with her uproariously domineering control and aggressive authority over everyone and everything in the Jaspers’ lives, and, as a non-practicing lawyer, crafts the plans for how to keep their dirty laundry unseen, if still unclean.
Rounding out the consistently outstanding cast are Glenn Davis as Junior, desperately trying to make amends for his incarceration and the resultant disappointment and disapproval of his father, and Alana Arenas as his wife Morgan – soon to begin serving her own sentence for unwittingly falsifying his signature on government documents – whose utter contempt for the Jaspers is first conveyed by declining to dine with them due to a migraine, her silent appearance in the dining room, in dark glasses, at the urging of Claudine, and her blistering eruption at the dinner table, resulting in a physical altercation with her incensed mother-in-law (fight direction by Michael Rossmy) and expressed hostilities that extend into her deeply troubled marriage, and blow up over the course of the uproariously volatile weekend.
A telling artistic design, with contemporary status-defining costumes by Dede M. Ayite and hair and wigs by Nikiya Mathis, mood-setting sound by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, and lighting by Amith Chandrashaker that transitions from day to night and shines a spotlight on Naz’s vivid narration, enhances the top-notch performances. And the set by Todd Rosenthal – a lavish and tastefully furnished bi-level interior with a grand curved staircase, a window that provides a view of the falling snow, and walls hung with paintings centered on portraits of the Reverends Jasper and Martin Luther King (who, along with his immeasurable contributions to our country and Black history, was, like Solomon, also exposed for his extra-marital affairs, as dramatized in Katori Hall’s play The Mountaintop).
The laugh-out-loud fury of Purpose concludes with a reflective conversation between Naz and his father about the titular intent of life and their renewed desire to fulfill it, and an update on the current situations of the embattled Jaspers. It’s a sobering ending to a boisterously unrestrained and hysterically entertaining family epic, perfectly expressed in the eloquent writing of Jacobs-Jenkins.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 50 minutes, including an intermission.
Purpose plays through Sunday, August 31, 2025, at the Hayes Theater, 240 West 44th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $79-299, including fees), call (646) 410-2277, or go online.
