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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