Purpose is an explosive family drama in which decades of repressed anger are released and long-held secrets revealed, wrapped in dark comedy.
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the award-winning play last year received a Tony Award for Best Play, Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award.
Director Zindzi Okenyo, who helmed Melbourne Theatre Company’s Destiny — a powerful drama set during the beginning of the South African revolution exploring family, love and the fight for justice under apartheid — skilfully navigates the dysfunctional family dynamics at the heart of Purpose.
In its first Australian staging, the cast includes Grace Bentley-Tsibuah (Morgan), Deni Gordon (Claudine), Markus Hamilton (Solomon), Tinashe Mangwana (Nazareth), Maurice Marvel Meredith (Solomon ‘Junior’) and Sisi Stringer (Aziza).
Purpose opens Sydney Theatre Company’s new Artistic Director, Mitchell Butel’s first season. He describes the play as one that “takes a great tradition of American theatre – the family dinner gone wrong – and turns it completely on its head and with savage, genius mischief that explores power, hypocrisy, marital discord but also how to navigate a path towards freedom and truth amidst it all.”
The Jasper family is led by the formidable Reverend Solomon (Hamilton), once a powerful Black American activist, now suffering a ‘crisis of purpose’. His sons have become a disappointment: Solomon ‘Junior’ has just been released from jail for extortion, while Nazareth has dropped out of divinity school.
Nazareth has chosen to live separately from “these people” — his family — not sharing the images of his successful photography career, remaining silent about his sexuality, and certainly not sharing his agreement to ‘donate’ his sperm to his friend Aziza. When she unexpectedly arrives at the family home and discovers who his family is, she cannot resist accepting his mother’s invitation to stay. Fan-girling and thrilled at the prospect she may be pregnant with the grandchild of a civil rights icon, Aziza poses for photos with the family objects, oblivious to the tension she has stepped into.
All the cast deliver deeply human, likeable characters played with depth and heart. Even in moments of raised voices and raw confrontation, the performances balance anger with vulnerability, revealing both faults and strengths.
Nazareth immediately connects with the audience, playfully poking out his tongue. He regularly breaks the fourth wall, addressing the audience to provide context or to warning to ‘buckle up’. These moments offer clarity and later, a respite from the mounting tension.
This is very much an actor’s play, defined by strong performances across the ensemble. Claudine, the forthright matriarch, anchors the family, while Hamilton stone-faced Solomon towers over them, thunderously expelling opinions, and undermining his sons. Meredith Solomon ‘Junior’ is driven by desperation for redemption, portraying the older brother as lost and conflicted with sincerity. Bentley-Tsibuah captivates as Morgan from the moment she descends the stairs, intent on wearing sunglasses to dinner. She holds the audience particularly when she finally revolts, met by Claudine’s cutting declaration: “the devil is in your mouth”.
With snow falling outside, designer Jeremy Allen uses depth and space to create a richly detailed set: tiered floors, a staircase, and an inset dining room, are adorned with a large portrait of Martin Luther King Jr., family photographs and African artworks. The walnut wood-panelled walls and polished interiors speak to the family’s quiet wealth.
Purpose is an enthralling blend of retro and contemporary. Jacobs-Jenkins’s story is firmly set in the present, with references to the pandemic, wokeness and fluidity in sexuality, while also exposing generational divides and misunderstandings. Touching on identity, prison reform and designer babies, the play is thought-provoking and absolutely riveting, leaving audiences laughing, gasping and cringing in equal measure.
Purpose is playing at Sydney Theatre Company (Wharf 1) in Walsh Bay until 22 March 2026.
Run time: 3 hours (including intervals)
For tickets visit: Sydney Theatre Company
Looking for a pre-show bite? Deux Frères is located close by. For more suggestions, check out Bites & Sips.
BACCHUS AT THE THEATRE 
Leave a comment