I walked into Wharf 1 Theatre not knowing Purpose had arrived at Sydney Theatre Company with a cloud of awards; Tony Award, Pulitzer Prize, Drama Critics’ Circle. Even if I had, nothing could have prepared me for how alive the Jasper family felt. Three hours later, I left feeling shaken and amused because Purpose feels like family therapy. It was funny, enraging, and joyful.
Purpose is the latest play by American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose work has reshaped contemporary drama. Commissioned by Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre Company, it premiered there in 2024. It then transferred to Broadway, winning the 2025 Tony Award for Best Play and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, among other accolades. It continues the tradition of powerful American family dramas that examine identity, legacy and social history through personal narrative.
Purpose follows the Jasper family: a dynastic Black family long involved in civil rights, religion and politics. The play opens with Solomon Jasper, a Jesse Jackson-like civil rights leader in his later years, now beekeeping as a way to connect with his late father’s legacy.
His sons, Solomon ‘Junior’ and Nazareth ‘Naz,’ grapple with divergent paths. Junior is emerging from prison and trying to rebuild his life. Naz is seeking distance from the family name. Into this taut household comes an unexpected guest, forcing each member to face long-buried tensions, betrayals and questions about faith, identity and what it means to “do good.”
Director Zindzi Okenyo guides this sprawling family saga with clarity and confidence. She allows the emotional rhythms to breathe so that when tensions erupt, they hit with precision.
Jeremy Allen has basically created a full home interior on stage, complete with tiny details of this family’s past lives in every corner. Lighting by Kelsey Lee enhances mood shifts from dinner table pressure to late-night confessions. James Peter Brown’s composition and sound design underscore the narration with melodic truth.
The Jasper family is brought to life by a commanding ensemble. Deni Gordon’s matriarch carries a blend of strength and vulnerability that anchors the family’s public reputation and private fractures.
After Happy Days last year, Markus Hamilton is back with STC. His portrayal of Solomon Jasper mixes charisma with the weariness of a leader confronting his own myths. Tinashe Mangwana gives depth and nuance to Naz, whose observations and choices propel much of the play’s thematic weight.
Sisi Stringer provides a compelling presence as an outside perspective on this peculiar family. Maurice Marvel Meredith is brilliant as the tortured older brother / eldest son, but always reminds us that his actions shouldn’t give him too much sympathy.
Finally, Grace Bentley-Tsibuah ties it all together with a stunning picture of someone being crushed by the pressure after giving their life to the Jaspers, her own identity be damned.
This play walks the tightrope expertly. There is humour, but it doesn’t undercut the tension, and the confrontations reveal both the characters’ tenderness and cruelty. More broadly, its engagement with the legacy of Black political leadership gives it a wider resonance – it is both extremely personal and undeniably political.
I left the theatre feeling both energised and quietly moved, not just by the narrative, but the many fallible human contradictions it presents.
Purpose is a riveting family drama that interrogates what we owe to history, community and ourselves. It asks big questions without offering easy answers and invites audiences to reflect on their own ideas of responsibility and belonging. I highly recommend this production – not just for its performances and craft, but for the rare way it holds laughter and pain in a single breath.
Purpose is presented by Sydney Theatre Company and runs to 22 March at Wharf 1 Theatre. Wharf 4/5 Walsh Bay, Sydney NSW 2000.
Tickets: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2026/purpose
Website: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/sydneytheatreco/
Photo credits: Prudence Upton
