Kara Young interview: ‘Purlie Victorious’
Kara Young is once again Tony-nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play, for her hysterical and moving performance in the revival of “Purlie Victorious.” It’s her third nomination in that category in as many years, with previous bids for ��Clyde’s” and “Cost of Living.” The actress is now the first Black performer in Tony Awards history to earn three consecutive acting nominations. “It feels like it’s beyond me,” admits Young, when considering the historic statistic. Instead, she sees it as a full circle moment that finally acknowledges “Purlie” writer Ossie Davis and his wife Ruby Dee (who originated Young’s role of Luttiebell in the play). Neither legendary performer received a Tony nomination back in 1962. “Ossie and Ruby were so influential and so monumental in our history as we know it. We stand on the shoulders of giants,” states Young. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“For years people have been telling me that I remind them of her,” admits Young of the comparisons to Ruby Dee. Both women grew up in Harlem and share a petite stature. “A lot of my aunts have been manifesting this in some kind of way,” says the actress, “So the fact that this happened, it felt like I just needed to listen…it feels like there are other forces working in some kind of way.”
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During the play, Young has to balance a heightened tone that invites audiences to laugh through the realities of racism and prejudice. “The way that Ossie lays humor is more about the absurdity of the construct of racism, and that’s what he makes us laugh at,” notes Young.
One particularly absurd moment see’s Young’s Lutiebell desperately attempt to portray the very proper (and very deceased) Cousin Bee in order to help Purlie (Leslie Odom Jr.) win back his inheritance money. “It’s a fine line” of playing the desire to be great against a sense of sheer discomfort, according to the actress. Lutiebell struggles with stepping into the shoes of someone so far removed from her own life, who had education and opportunities that she never even considered for herself. “But what we find out is that Lutibell, at the end of her journey, she’s quite remarkably intelligent,” says Young with a smile.
“It feels like history has been meticulously buried, and this play says you cannot forget history,” remarks Young when asked about the timeliness of the 63 year old script. “I feel like Ossie lays out this absurdity to make us look at ourselves as the human that we are, that we can be in a room together, we can heal together, we can laugh together, we can cry together,” says Young. “This is a love letter to Black people. It’s also a love letter to the fact that we have to create the environments that we’re going to be in.”
