Kansas City, Mo.
October 1 – December 1, 1991
By Ossie Davis
Directed by E. Randahl Hoey
Role: Purlie Victorious Judson
As Purlie Victorious, preaching before a congregation as Charlie (Lance Gharavi) looks on (PHOTO: Courtesy of E. Randahl Hoey)
As Purlie Victorious Judson, convincing Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (JoNell Kennedy), who is a look-alike for his dead cousin, to help him win back his rightful family church from its wrongful owner, Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee, by pretending to be his cousin and together asserting their family claim (PHOTO: Courtesy of E. Randahl Hoey)
Critical Response
“In the title role, Johnny Lee Davenport plays Purlie Victorious Judson, a scheming, self-ordained black preacher who has devised a plan to win back his family church from the Southern-fried cotton plantation owner Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee. . . . Davenport delivers a solid performance in the title role.”
—Coral Beach, The Independence Examiner (October 1991)
“The show boasts the guidance of noted director, Randahl Hoey, . . . and an impressive cast made up of talent from Chicago and Kansas City. Chicagoans Johnny Lee Davenport, JoNell Kennedy and Audrey Morgan head up the cast.”
—AG, Kansas City (October 1991)
“Strong acting helps make ‘Purlie Victorious’ fun, [and] thought provoking. . . . The play depicts a series of farcical events triggered by the return of Purlie Victorious Judson (Johnny Lee Davenport), an unlicensed stump preacher. Purlie has been out in the world, but he comes home with a scheme to pry from the grasp of Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee (James Shelby), the white landowner who rules over his back sharecroppers with condescending affection and the constant threat of terror, $500 that rightly belongs to the Judson family. . . . Director Randahl Hoey moves things along at a brisk pace . . . [and] the lunacy kicks in. The acting is solid throughout.”
—Robert Trussell, Kansas City Star (October 8, 1991)