Broadway Comes to New Jersey with Rahway’s Production of “Purlie”

New Jersey is alive with the sound of music as Rahway revives an underrated classic.

The American Theater Group has come to Rahway’s Hamilton Stage to host a production of the hit musical Purlie, one of the first major Black musicals in American history. 

Adapted from Ossie Davis’s 1970 play, Purlie Victorious, Purlie is a satirical story about a traveling preacher who returns to his hometown in Georgia, where he tries to save the local church and free the plantation workers. 

Purlie Victorious recently had a production on Broadway starring Oscar and Tony-nominated actor Leslie Odom Jr.

Acclaimed theater director Kenny Ingram will direct ATG’s production of Purlie in Rahway on March 6-23, 2025.

Ingram previously directed and/or choreographed productions of The Wiz, 9 to 5 The Musical, Dreamgirls, The Sound of Music, and more.

“I am very blessed to be a part of this production,” said Ingram. “I’m so blessed to be able to create [this play] and to have the freedom to create.”

Rahway’s production of Purlie will feature a large ensemble cast of actors from Broadway and New Jersey. 

Actor Timothy Ware-Hill will lead the cast of Purlie as the titular protagonist. 

Starring alongside him are Aeja Barrows, newcomer Ryan Bronston, Tyson Jennette, Nicole Powell, Tom Souhrada, Virginia Woodruff, LJ Brodie, Kayla Caeser, Berlin Lee Charles, Shaq Hester, Maya Mays, Lathan Roberts, Joshua Shepard, and Lilliannie Arie Urgent. 

Meanwhile, Gary Mitchell Jr. and Bernita Robinson will serve as the musical director and the stage manager, respectively. 

According to Ingram, the musical Purlie hasn’t been done to the same “flavor” as his production since the 1970s. 

For one thing, Ossie Davis’s estate has been heavily involved with Ingram and his team, overseeing the production and even attending script readings. 

Purlie will also feature a church choir from Rahway, allowing Jersey audiences to see and hear themselves in the play as their community participates in Ingram’s musical production.

When explaining his approach to making Purlie, Ingram stated that the play will make the audience “almost feel like [they’re] in a church” as it takes them on a journey that will have them “stand up and [shout] Hallelujah” and have a “gut-busting” good time.

“I’m excited for New Jersey to see [Purlie],” Ingram stated. “I’m excited to embody it.”

As Ingram discussed his time working on Purlie, he expressed his gratitude for having “nothing but a joyful production” filled with “laughing and smiling” with his “great creative team.” 

He was also “blessed” to have Robinson as stage manager, calling her their “queen” and “leader.”

Likewise, when discussing Purlie and her role as Missy, Englewood actor Nicole Powell had nothing but nice things to say about the play and Ingram.

“I’m so glad I met [Kenny] because he is a wonderful spirit,” said Powell. “He is the perfect person [to direct Purlie]… because not only does he have the right sensitivity for it because of his background and his family coming from the South…. He can embrace what it was like for his parents and all of our families to live at that time and live in that area of the country.”

Ingram has also displayed great reverence for Ossie Davis and the words he wrote for Purlie Victorious, having been introduced to the story as a child in the ‘60s by the film adaptation Gone Are the Days!

He even went as far as to liken Davis’s play to the works of William Shakespeare. As a result, Ingram chose to honor Davis by remaining “honest” with the source material and “[sticking] to the truth” laid out in the text.

“[Ossie Davis] is an iconic legend of our time, and his words are still relevant to this day,” said Ingram. “This play never gets old. It breathes.”

Ingram made it clear that he wanted to do something from his heart by making Purlie. 

With such passion and respect for Davis’s text, as well as a skilled cast and crew, Ingram is prepared to unite and engage the people of Rahway and beyond in a hilarious and thrilling musical experience.For more information about, tickets and showtimes for Purlie in Rahway, please visit ucpac.org