RAHWAY, NJ — “Purlie: A Musical” opens at Hamilton Stage on Thursday, March 6, running to Sunday, March 23.
Presented by American Theater Group, “Purlie: A Musical” is the 1970 musical adaption of Ossie Davis’s comedic play “Purlie Victorious,” which just completed a highly successful revival on Broadway last season.
“Purlie: A Musical” tells the story of a traveling preacher who returns to his hometown in Georgia and concocts a scheme to reclaim his church while ringing the bell of freedom for plantation workers.
Timothy Ware-Hill plays the role of Purlie. Growing up in the South, Ware-Hill relates to him in quite a few ways. “Purlie is a preacher. I grew up in a religious family,” he said. “Baptist church, grandfather was a deacon. The foundation of the Civil Rights movement instilled in me this message of fighting for freedom. The message Purlie preaches with this piece, Black people getting their fair share of the constitution.”
Ware-Hill has been acting in theater since he was a child. “I was fortunate to have parents who allowed me to explore my passions,” he said. “My mom had me in Easter programs and I had to memorize a poem. At some point, the bug bit me and my parents allowed me to follow my dreams. My mom was a schoolteacher. My father was a mechanic. I’m the oldest. They probably noticed I was always headstrong. If I saw something I believed in, I found a way to make it happen. I took ballet at Alabama Dance Theater. I took piano lessons at 9, 10 and 11.”
Ware-Hill said he feels very fortunate. “I don’t know too many people growing up in Alabama that would have had that type of support. It’s not like growing up near NYC or Hollywood. There’s no Broadway. There’s no major studio. Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta did not exist at that time,” he said.
But he certainly did find his way. He did his first professional show at age 12, at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. He received a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from Alabama State University. He studied at University of California, Los Angeles in the MFA Acting Program. His Broadway and Broadway National Tours included “Kinky Boots,” “Mamma Mia!,” “JC Superstar” and “Dreamgirls.” He is the recipient of the 2020 Peabody Award for his Netflix Animated Short, “Cops and Robbers,” which he wrote and directed.
While doing theater in Los Angeles, he was a dancer in the ensemble of “Purlie.” Now playing the lead, Ware-Hill feels that’s his favorite role of all. “It’s a challenging role,” he said. “It’s very dialogue driven. I consider ‘Purlie’ a play with music, as much as it is a musical. It’s an actor’s role and that’s what I love about it. It’s not often that musical theater performers get to sink their teeth into acting.”
As much as Ware-Hill loves theater, it’s not without its challenges. The biggest being the inconsistency when it comes to employment. “We are independent contractors,” he said. “We go from gig to gig, not always having a guarantee how long that gig will last. If it’s a Broadway show, you run as long as ticket sales. Sometimes you’re fortunate to be in a show that runs five, seven, 10 years. Other times, five months. It’s a constant hustle. But you have to love it in order to do it.”
And the best part is being able to escape into other characters – and other worlds. “When there’s so much happening in the world, it’s nice to step out of it,” Ware-Hill said.
When Ware-Hill isn’t performing, he spends time taking care of his 5-month-old daughter, Gloria Estelle, who he and his husband, Barry, have adopted. “She has become the center of our heart and home,” he said. “I spend as much time as I can with her.”
“Purlie: A Musical” is playing from Thursday, March 6, to Sunday, March 23. To get tickets, go to: https://ucpac.org/hamilton-stage/.
Photo Courtesy of Andre Jones Photography