Exploring the Purpose of Purpose

This past weekend I went with my son to see the play Purpose at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins received the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama fo his script, which takes place on a single weekend at the home of an affluent black family in Chicago. Ever since I left the theater, I’ve been mulling it over and dissecting in my mind the author’s intended purpose behind his artistic work.

The protagonist is the younger of two adult sons who also serves as the narrator, breaking the fourth wall throughout the performance to provide quips directly to the audience. His father is presented as a well-known (yet fictional) reverend and past civil rights leader. His mother is equal parts poise and grace combined with a fierce protective instinct for the men of her family. One of those women you don’t want to mess with! The occasion for their gathering is the return of the older son from prison where he served time for embezzlement, and his wife accompanies him to visit his family.  A friend of the main character/narrator rounds out the six-person cast.

The play is long (two and a half hours with an additional 15 mins for intermission, so close to three hours) and dense with all kinds of family dynamics to ponder and carry around with you for days after you leave the theater. In past columns, I have shared my appreciation for the thoughtful works that the Alliance stages, and my appreciation for realism in art across various forms, especially when it delves into family life. Thus, there was a lot about this play for me to like and appreciate.

The obvious question, would I recommend it? That depends on whether you’re someone who’s looking to escape and be entertained, or someone looking for a thought-provoking experience. This is one that’s likely to linger with you for a long time after you consume it.

Each of the six actors were exceptional in their roles. My brain was continuously working through each character’s purpose in the family in, and in their own life. I have mixed feelings about the thematic smorgasbord woven into the story – codependency, racism, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, depression, heritage, infidelity, honesty, and the list goes on. In spite of the long runtime, all of these important and timely topics only make a cursory appearance.

My first reaction upon walking out of the theater was that it was too long and tried to do too much. My son disagreed with me on both those counts. Upon additional reflection, I thought perhaps that is the point. If you capture any family over just a short period of time, you might pick up hints of all the things that lie beneath the surface, and a sense that each family member has both a public and private persona that cannot be fully understood in a single day. One of the best parts of the script and the performances is that each character is multi-dimensional. There are moments to strongly dislike each one of them, and things to admire about each of them. It was easy to feel compassion and empathy for each of them at different points in the story.

As I’ve continued to ponder the author’s creation, the more I believe presenting this litany of things going on in the lives of these characters was in fact purposeful. If you’ve seen it or decide to before it closes on September 20, please share your thoughts.