Purlie

With only a few weeks left here, I would like to take these last weeks to get by the places I've not made it to yet in Memphis. But along the way, I'll use up the rest of my season tickets to Playhouse on the Square.

This afternoon, I caught the afternoon showing of Purlie. What a treat!

The show is a musical with great music and even greater depth. One summary wraps it up as follows:
It is set in an era when Jim Crow laws still were in effect in the south. Its focus is on the dynamic traveling preacher Purlie Victorious Judson, who returns to his small Georgia town hoping to save Big Bethel, the community's church, and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee's plantation. With the assistance of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, Purlie hopes to pry loose from Cotchipee an inheritance due his long-lost cousin and use the money to achieve his goals. Also playing a part in Purlie's plans is Cotchipee's son Charlie, who ultimately proves to be far more liberal than his Simon-Legree-like father and saves the church from destruction with an act of defiance that has fatal consequences.

The music was wonderful, and the two female leads were just amazing--such rich sounds they could sing! The second male lead, well, at first I was puzzled; he seemed familiar. Finally, during intermission,. I read the program and realized he'd played the dual role of Montel & Jesus in Jerry Spring, The Opera.

Anyway, back to the show. It had a lot to say about race and issues of past & issues that remain today. Some of the lines made me want to cry, knowing the awful truth of our country's past that was behind the humor and singing. Still, I suppose it also says a lot about where we've come to have the show as it is. (Of course, having looked at the exit poll information from Kentucky, goodness do we still have a long way to go.)

Thanks again to You Tube, you can see and hear a few clips from the very stage that I saw today! Unfortunately, you don't get to hear Missey sing Down Home; that was truly an amazing performance.