Purpose
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Phylicia Rashad
Hayes Theatre
May 16, 2025
Production website
💉💉💉💉💉 out of 5.

Purpose begins the evening with its protagonist waning the audience to, “Buckle up,” and he is not kidding. On stage we are about to experience three hours lacerating, biting and totally unforgettable family drama.  At first, you believe you are going to go down the well-worn path of a conventional family reunion.  The snow is falling, roads are closed, and the wayward son has returned.  But it is here that playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins takes a most distinct point of view: he introduces black history and his peerless use of language to plumet this funny, deep and provocative work.  Purpose is a dramatic vivisection of the Jasper family and so much more.