A portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. hangs on the wall of the Jasper family home. It’s the first thing you see when you walk into the Hayes Theater to watch Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new family drama, “Purpose.” No matter if the Jaspers are in a vicious fight or a contemplative silence, that portrait looms above them like a hawk. A legacy watches over them.
Jacobs-Jenkins has his own history at the Hayes, as his other family drama, “Appropriate,” played there last year to rave reviews and a Tony Award. “Purpose,” transferring to Broadway after a production at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, seemed to be a triumphant homecoming. However, the play, directed by Phylicia Rashad, doesn’t fully live up to its legacy — it sets up a whole host of comedic bowling pins, only for them to slowly fade away rather than be knocked down.
This set-up takes up much of the first act, beginning with the return of Nazareth “Naz” Jasper (Jon Michael Hill) to his family home. The Jaspers are a famous Black family: Its other members are the father Solomon (Harry Lennix), a reverend and former civil rights hero; matriarch Claudine (LaTanya Richardson Jackson), who manages the family’s public image; and Naz’s older brother Junior (Glenn Davis). Solomon’s storied past as an activist explains both the King portrait and the heavy expectations placed on his sons.
Naz already defied those expectations when he dropped out of divinity school. And Junior, a former state senator, also won’t be receiving any parental praise — he just returned from prison after embezzling money. His wife Morgan (Alana Arenas), also implicated, is next to go in — due to their two kids, the couple was given consecutive sentences.
The family gathers to celebrate Junior’s release, and when Naz arrives at the house, he greets his brother with words of sympathy. But Naz doesn’t tell anyone that he was just acting as a sperm donor for his friend Aziza (Kara Young). However, after Aziza unexpectedly shows up to return Naz’s charger, Claudine cajoles her into staying for dinner.
All hell breaks loose at the dinner table, where the young clash with the old — Solomon and Claudine grew up with more conservative values, while Aziza and Naz are decidedly liberal — and secrets are revealed. The family’s conversation exposes Naz’s role in Aziza’s pregnancy, Junior’s unethical plans to sell the letters of support Claudine sent to him in prison, Aziza’s and Naz’s sexuality, Solomon possibly having more heirs out of wedlock, and much more.
But after such a comedic explosion at the end of the first act, nothing in the second act packed nearly the same punch. Instead, the second act of “Purpose” is disjointed and messy, as none of the characters’ plot lines are satisfyingly resolved. Aziza and Morgan exhibited so much rage in other scenes, denouncing the family’s backward ideals, that when they end up passively going along with the Jaspers’ schemes, it is disappointing.
The biggest unresolved question mark of a character in “Purpose” is the central one: Naz. We never get a clear grasp on Naz’s character, especially whether he likes or hates his family. One second he agrees with Morgan’s speech denouncing the Jaspers’ viciousness, the next he yells at Aziza for trying to defend him from his mother’s prying questions at dinner. The play alludes to the possibility that Naz is on the spectrum, but this confusing plot point isn’t explored deeply.
Naz remains a mystery, and Jacobs-Jenkins burdens him further with overwrought exposition in the form of narration to the audience. He steals drama from scenes with asides that tell us what’s happening instead of letting us see ourselves. Rashad’s direction fragments these moments rather than integrating them — whenever Naz speaks to us, a spotlight shines on him and the rest of the actors awkwardly mime actions in the dark.
Despite an unsatisfying resolution, the cast of “Purpose” makes comedic fire happen onstage. As Junior, Davis is both sympathetic and hilarious — just one of his facial expressions elicits roars from the audience. Richardson Jackson wields warm ruthlessness as Claudine. Even when forcing you to sign a merciless nondisclosure agreement, she still acts as if she is just offering a glass of water. And Young mines each of Aziza’s lines for comedic gold. When she finds out about Naz’s famous family, she exclaims that she is “pregnant with Black history” — a line that Young delivers with incredulous excitement.
The cast makes sure “Purpose” is never a snooze to watch. With so many secrets revealed, the play satisfies every audience member’s inner love of gossip. But, while Jacobs-Jenkins’ characters spill a lot of tea, they never clean up their messes, leaving the play on an ironically purposeless note.
Contact Ethan Li at [email protected].
