The Purists
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?
THE PURISTS premiered in 2019 at The Huntington Theater in Boston directed by Billy Porter. The production won the Elliot Norton Award for Best Production and the play won the 2020 Elizabeth Osborn Award.
THE PURISTS made its UK Premiere in the fall of 2024 at The Kiln Theatre in London directed by Amit Sharma.
You can buy a published version of THE PURISTS from Bloombury.
“Outstanding! Trenchant, topical, substantive, and consistently funny at the same time. ‘The Purists’ is an unalloyed delight”