Purpose
I heard Branden Jacobs-Jenkins had a new play out, and I haaaaad to see it. What I didn’t realize until the night of was that Purpose had just won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama the day before.
Written by Tony Award-winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad, Purpose is a gripping story about the Jasper family. The play takes place over the course of a few days, as Naz Jasper, the youngest son, returns home to Illinois with his friend Aziza, played by the brilliant and Tony-nominated Kara Young. She’s surprised to learn that Naz comes from a major Black political family with deep roots in the civil rights movement.
(Update: Purpose on Broadway and Kara Young are now TONY AWARD WINNERS)
(I’d need a selfie too)
Every family has its burdens and crosses to bear, and the Jaspers are no exception. Naz’s visit, with the help of Aziza, stirs up long-held tensions, challenges the family’s carefully protected beliefs, and brings a whole wave of generational trauma to the surface. The tug-of-war between the family’s curated image and the truth behind closed doors all comes to a head during a birthday dinner for the matriarch, Claudine Jasper, one that Naz hilariously warns the audience about a few minutes before it erupts.
In Act One, everyone is still playing their part, holding tight to the masks they’ve worn for decades. But by Act Two, the façade starts to crack. In a sharp and funny turning point, Naz, played by Jon Michael Hill, who also serves as the narrator, lets us in on what it was really like growing up in that house. And he does it in a way that’s both honest and genuinely funny.
Solomon Jasper, the father, minister, and civil rights leader, is played by Harry Lennix. He stepped back from the public life and now spends his time tending to his bees. But behind that quiet routine is a man full of regret, about his strained relationships with his sons, and about a marriage that he didn’t fully honor. (men!)
Claudine Jasper, played by LaTanya Richardson Jackson, is the matriarch keeping the whole machine running. She is warm and regal, but also deeply committed to protecting the family’s public image, so much so that she hands out NDAs like purse candy.
The eldest son, Solomon Jr. (Glenn Davis), has just returned from a 24-month prison sentence for campaign fraud. While he made his own choices, it’s clear the weight of his father’s name and the image the family demanded he uphold left its scars. He wants to explain himself, but nobody is really ready to hear it.
His wife, Morgan Jasper, is also set to serve time for her role in the scandal. Her relationship with Junior is tense, but as the story unfolds, we learn her anger isn’t just about him.
Then there is Nazareth "Naz" Jasper. He left theology school to pursue photography, a move his family sees as a rejection of everything they stand for. He comes home with secrets and a deep understanding of how unsafe honesty can be in this household. But with Aziza’s unfiltered curiosity and charm, even he discovers that his family has secrets he didn’t know existed.
Watching all these big personalities crash into each other at the Hayes Theater made for a wild and powerful night of theater. Purpose asks, what happens when a powerful family is forced to face the mess beneath their polished legacy? It explores identity, truth, duty, and what it really means to carry a name, especially when that name is tied to public expectation. It’s a deeply specific story, but the themes hit home for anyone who has ever tried to navigate family, legacy, or finding their own voice.
The production itself was beautiful, engaging, funny, and full of heart, enough to make you laugh, reflect, and maybe even confront some blind spots of your own.
One more thing worth highlighting: the set!
Lately, Broadway has leaned minimalist, maybe because of budget, maybe by choice, but Jacobs-Jenkins’ shows never skimp on design. Like his 2024 production Appropriate, the set here is rich with detail and feels like an extension of the characters themselves. The furniture, the family photos, the dining room, it’s all part of the story. You feel the history of that house from the second the lights come up.
Bravo to Faye Armon-Troncoso (Set Decoration & Props), Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Design), and Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design).
Isn’t it gorgeous?!?
Purpose is now extended through August 31st at the Hayes Theater.
🎟️ Get your tickets here.
Please go check this one out, but be prepared for the truth to hit hard between every laugh and cry.
And snuggle up, because there is little to no leg room. :)
