Steppenwolf’s PURPOSE Is A Must See!
The story is centered around the Jasper Family who are community royalty in Chicago.
Patriarch, Reverand Solomon “Sonny” Jasper (Harry Lennix) was influential in the civil rights movement. He is a legend in his own right. His wife Claudine (Tamara Tunie) runs the household. She is the loving mother who makes sure the family is first and foremost. She is an attorney who gave up her career to support her husband’s vision and raise her children. Solomon “Junior” Jasper (Glenn Davis) is the oldest son destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, however, the young Congressman has returned from spending time in prison for misappropriation of funds and is struggling with mental illness. The younger son Nazareth (John Michael Hill) is on his own path of discovery.
PURPOSE is one of the most satisfying and engaging plays I have seen in a long time. Written by the amazing Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Directed by legendary Phylicia Rashad, PURPOSE takes on an intense look at the many facets of this complex family.
I sat down with Harry Lennix, who has been a good friend for many years, and I asked him about the purpose of PURPOSE.
“What I love about it is that it gets down to the very question of purpose. It gets to the what is in philosophy, the teleological question, why am I here? What is the purpose? What’s the end? What’s the objective of life? How do we derive our meaning from this? This is really what the play, I think, is about. And what more important question is there? You know, Shakespeare said, “To be or not to be?” That is the question. And Purpose is saying, “What is the purpose? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? How do I get meaning?” And I think that they go rather deeply, or Brandon does, and the characters do rather deeply into that question.”
Nazareth “Naz” narrates the play. Jon Michael Hill is great in this role of bringing the audience into the backstory of the family.
Alana Arenas plays Morgan, the wife of Solomon “Junior.” She is caught up in Junior’s legal issues and is about to serve her time in prison, having to leave her children behind. Alana gives Morgan levels. She isn’t a one-emotion character. I found myself rooting for her.
Rounding out the cast is Ayanna Bria Bakari as Aziza Houston. Aziza and Naz are close friends who have made an arrangement to help each other. Aziza represents all of us who admire people from afar and place them on pedestals but soon realize, that once you’re in their inner space, they are people with flaws just like anyone else.
When I spoke with Ayanna, she explained how she sees Aziza.
“Aziza Houston is a thoughtful, mighty, courageous, brave, striking young woman, who is on a journey to find her purpose as well. She can be very trusting, and very accepting, and I think sometimes it’s to her detriment. She grew up in a house like mine, where the MLKs and Jesse Jacksons, Toni Morrisons, and Solomon Jaspers, to speak to the play, were like the people she idolized growing up, the people she studied, and her parents instilled this African-centeredness in her, so that she can be someone who grows up to know herself very well, and grows up to love and understand and fight for her people, like myself.”
The script for PURPOSE was completed in a workshop setting days before opening. Some people who saw preview shows saw the actors with scripts because they had just gotten the second act.
I asked Ayanna what it was like working in that way and also being directed by the amazing Phylicia Rashad.
“That’s the wonderful thing about Ms. Felicia. We have the first act and we got so deep into the first act, and we’re so in tune with our characters in the first act, that when we did receive the second act, all that language that we built in the first translated into the second, and we were able, wherever the story was taking us, we were able to flow with it because we had done that in-depth work in the beginning. And that is to Ms. Rashad’s credit, because she made us, and encouraged us strongly, to live in the life of the play, so that when we got the later parts, all that stuff is like, “Oh yeah, of course, that would happen. Of course, these feelings, because we were here.” And this was so rich, so it only informs and made the transition into learning the next part of the play that much more smooth.”
PURPOSE is a must-see play. It has depth, humor, passion, on content that has the audience leaving the theater talking about it, calling friends to tell them they must see this production. It has been extended twice; however, it will close on May 12th so there is still time to see it.
PURPOSE receives 5 out of 5 winks of the EYE.
Until next time, keep your EYE to the sky!