Tag: Purlie

A Look at “Purlie”

Purlie, a musical adaptation of Ossie Davis’ 1964 comedy Purlie Victorious, is about a charismatic and enterprising black preacher who goes head to head with a bigoted plantation owner. The show, with a highly entertaining score by Gary Geld and Peter Udell, opened at the Broadway Theatre in 1970 and ran for 688 performances, winning two Tonys including one for star Cleavon Little. It was revived in 1972, for 14 performances and was ultimately taped for TV in 1981 with several members of the original company, which also included The Jeffersons’ star Sherman Hemsley. Starring in the TV version was Robert Guillaume, who replaced Little in the Broadway company and was making a name for himself as Benson. (The following clips are from said TV version).

However, Purlie opens differently than most musical comedies: the curtain rises on what appears to be a solemn funeral. Kicking off the show was Linda Hopkins, the choir soloist, who leads the congregation in the rousing “Walk Him Up the Stairs,” which stars as a solemn gospel hymn and quickly evolves into a high-octane showstopper:

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Melba Moore, who had made a splash as Dionne in the original Broadway cast of Hair, walked home with the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical as Lutiebelle, Purlie’s love interest. Moore is a vocal powerhouse whose pyrotechnics and stage presence made her the toast of the 1969-70 Broadway season. Here she is strutting her way through the show’s title song:

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The title song went over so well out of town that the creators decided that Moore needed another song. They quickly came up with a showstopper like none other. Starting out plaintive and quiet, “I Got Love” takes off into the stratosphere once Moore sings the word “love.” What followed were vocal pyrotechnics of the highest order and Ms. Moore brought the show to a halt with this powerhouse tour de force (plus encore):

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Melba Moore sings “I Got Love”

High belting doesn’t really excite me as much as it does some others. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t have some favorites. One of the all time greats is Melba Moore, who made her professional debut as Dionne in the original cast of Hair. Moore came from a musical family (her mother was singer Bonnie Davis and her father Big Band leader Teddy Hill; her stepfather and great influence was jazz pianist Clement Moorman). Moore eventually moved into the role of Sheila, a couple years into the run (replacing none other than Diane Keaton).

In 1970, she opened in a new musical based on Ossie Davis’ Purlie Victorious. A light comedy with satiric edges about race relations in the Deep South, the play was about a charismatic and cunning preacher who returns to his Georgia hometown to save the church and also to get the cotton pickers out of the clutches of the mean old plantation owner (who treats the workers like slaves). The plan is to get an inheritance out of the old racist codger and use the money to help the townspeople, with the help of the plantation owner’s liberal son.

Continue reading Melba Moore sings “I Got Love”

I Got Melba

Melba Moore first hit the Broadway scene as Dionne in the original cast of Hair. During her run in the show, she would also become the understudy for and eventually assume the lead role of Sheila. However, it was the musical Purlie which gave Moore what probably her greatest success onstage. Purlie was a musical adaptation of Ossie Davis’ racial satire Purlie Victorious about a black preacher who goes head to head with an old racist landowner. Cleavon Little was Purlie, and the cast consisted of Linda Hopkins, Sherman Hemlsey (it was his appearance in this role that got him noticed by Norman Lear to play George Jefferson) and Helen Martin. Director-choreographer George Faison was in the ensemble.

As Purlie’s sweetheart Lutiebelle, Melba made a huge impression on audiences, often stopping the show with her first act delivery of the title song. The authors and directors sensing they had a tremendous performance on their hands immediately went to work writing another number for her. The song was “I Got Love” and if “Purlie” had stopped the show, this new song practically flattened the theatre. Moore won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, besting Penny Fuller and Bonnie Franklin in Applause and Melissa Hart in the 4 performance flop Georgy.

There was a TV production of Purlie that aired in 1981 starring Robert Guillaume, who had replaced Cleavon Little in the original production and had become a star with his portrayal of the title role on Benson. This version made its way to VHS in the late 80s, but has yet to have a DVD release. Here is Melba Moore delivering the title song from the TV version:

Here’s a TV performance of “I Got Love”

Now for the random/bizarre entry. This is a television performance from 1980 The Beatrice Arthur Special. Bea is leading a revival (under the name Sistah Luv) with Rock Hudson, Melba with “Madame” on the organ. It has to be seen to be believed: