Billy Porter to Direct Huntington Theatre Company World Premiere of The Purists
(© David Gordon)
Huntington Theatre Company has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Purists, written by Dan McCabe. It will be directed by Tony and Grammy Award winner Billy Porter. The show will begin performances on Friday, August 30; open on Wednesday, September 11; and run through Sunday, September 29 at the Calderwood Pavillion of the Boston Center of the Arts.
The cast of The Purists will be led by J. Bernard Calloway (Memphis) as Mr. Bugz and Morocco Omari (Fox's Empire) as Lamont, along with John Scurti (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Gerry, Izzie Steele (Atlantic Theatre Company's Cloud Nine) as Nancy, and Analisa Velez (Atlantic's Tell Hector I Miss Him) as Val. The creative team will include Clint Ramos (scenic design), Leon Rothenberg (sound design), Kara Harmon (costume design), Driscoll Otto (lighting design), and Michael "Lofey" Sandlofer (original score).
The Purists is described as follows: "A former rapper, a DJ, and a showtunes-loving telesales director have become an unlikely group who hang out and spar about music on a stoop in Queens. But, when an impromptu rap battle erupts between two younger female emcees, everything gets questioned. With raw emotion and uproarious humor, The Purists asks, what is friendship? How can we embrace new ideas? And what does it mean to be wholly yourself?"
