LaTanya Richardson Jackson to Depart Purpose; Brenda Pressley to Take Over

Brenda Pressley (The Lyons, original company of Dreamgirls) will join the Broadway company of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Purpose, directed by Phylicia Rashad.

Pressley will assume the role of Claudine Jasper starting on Tuesday, July 15. Purpose has been extended to run through Sunday, August 31, at the Helen Hayes Theater.

LaTanya Richardson Jackson, who was nominated for a Tony for originating the role of Claudine, will give her final performance on July 13, one week later than her original departure date on July 6.

Pressley will join original company members Tony Award nominees Harry Lennix, Jon Michael Hill, and Glenn Davis, Theater World Award recipient Alana Arenas, and two-time Tony Award winner Kara Young.