Fans who didn’t make it to New York City to catch the Broadway revival of “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch,” starring Leslie Odom, Jr., can catch the comedic play on TV later this month.
PBS will broadcast “Purlie Victorious” on Friday, May 24, at 9 p.m. as part of its Emmy-winning performing arts series “Great Performances.” The show will also be available to watch on the PBS website and app.
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“Purlie Victorious” follows a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner. Odom, who grew up in East Oak Lane and attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, received a Tony Award nomination last month for playing the titular role. The “Purlie Victorious” revival opened in September 2023 and closed in February. The play, written by Ossie Davis, made its original Broadway debut in 1961 starring Davis.
“I have loved this piece and its author, Mr. Davis, for well over half my life,” Odom said in a release. “We endeavored to live up to the demands of a challenging text and the legacy of a great American. I was thrilled beyond measure to be part of the revival company and now for it to be part of the rich tradition of ‘Great Performances’ on PBS.”
The PBS broadcast of the play was recorded live at the Music Box Theatre in January. It will be part of the “Great Performance” Broadway Best series, which also includes the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of “Hamlet,” Audra McDonald’s 2022 London Palladium concert, and 2023’s “My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert,” also from London.
Odom, best known for his Tony-winning breakout role as Aaron Burr in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” has earned a Grammy award and been nominated for multiple Emmys and Oscars throughout his career. He was named to Time’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024” list in April, and joined Philly’s Walk of Fame in 2023.
His fifth full-length album, “When A Crooner Dies,” was released in November, and he stopped by Philadelphia earlier this month to perform a concert at the Miller Theater for his “My Favorite Things” tour.
Franki Rudnesky
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