‘Purlie Victorious’ Starring Leslie Odom Jr. Wins Four-Week Broadway Extension
13.10.2023 - 13:33
/ deadline.com
Broadway‘s critically acclaimed Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch starring Leslie Odom, Jr. has extended its limited engagement by four weeks, with closing night at the Music Box Theatre now set for Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024.
The comedy had initially been set to close Jan. 7.
Written by Ossie Davis and first produced in 1961, Purlie, newly directed by Kenny Leon, received widespread critical acclaim when it opened Sept. 27 after several weeks of previews. Although the reviews did not immediately translate into strong box office, grosses for the show have been on a steady upswing since opening night: Box office figures for the week ending Oct. 8 totaled $485,588, with attendance at about 61% of the venue’s capacity. The week just prior to opening, Purlie grossed $259,603.
Odom, whose starring role in the hit The Exorcist: Believer could help boost the profile of Purlie, plays the title character Purlie Victorious Judson, a preacher who hopes to save a church in 1960s-era small town Georgia by demanding money owed his late cousin by the tyrannical local cotton plantation owner.
In addition to Odom, the production’s cast includes Kara Young, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones, Noah Robbins, Jay O. Sanders, Heather Alicia Simms, Bill Timoney and Noah Pyzik.
Purlie Victorious is produced by: Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Leslie Odom Jr., Louise Gund, Bob Boyett, Curt Cronin, John Joseph, Willette and Manny Klausner, Brenda Boone, Salman Moudy Al-Rashid, Creative Partners Productions, Irene Gandy, Kayla Greenspan, Mark and David Golub Productions, Kenny Leon, Ken Greiner, John Gore Organization, W3 Productions, Morwin Schmookler, Van Kaplan, Ken Greiner, Patrick W. Jones, Nicolette