Ossie Davis Turned His Rage into the Comedy Purlie Victorious. A 1960s Broadway Hit and Revival

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Published 2024-06-14

What was Ossie Davis thinking when the actor and playwright wrote a Broadway comedy about racism in 1961? His play "Purlie Victorious, A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch" brandished humor to fight racism and injustice and win acclaim from theater critics and audiences, including Malcolm X and Eleanor Roosevelt. The predominantly Black Broadway cast in 1961 included Davis and his wife Ruby Dee. Today, the couple’s children Guy Davis, Nora Davis Day, and Hasna Muhammad explain the play's origins and how it evolved – or didn't – up to the Tony-nominated revival in 2023 starring Leslie Odom, Jr.

Chelsea-Lyn Rudder, co-host of THIRTEEN's monthly social video "One to Watch," conducts this illuminating interview as a bonus back story to "Great Performances: Purlie Victorious," which shares the entire Broadway play for TV audiences as part of Great Performance's Broadways Best series. The play ended its Broadway run in February 2024: don't miss seeing Leslie Odom, Jr.'s Tony-nominated star performance, and the revival that earned six Tony nominations in 2024! Stream now through July 19, 2024, on PBS and THIRTEEN platforms. View it after July 19 by becoming a member of PBS station THIRTEEN and using the member benefit THIRTEEN Passport.

For the full Broadway performance, see Great Performances: Purlie Victorious: www.thirteen.org/programs/great-performances/purli…

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THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
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