Video: Inside Opening Night of PURPOSE on Broadway

When you took your bow back on Broadway, do you remember what you were thinking

Wow. That's what I was thinking. I'm wow from the colored girl from Atlanta, Georgia

I'm wowing 75. I'm taking a bow on the Helen Hay stage with this most talented group of people

I am thankful to God. That's what I'm saying. Wow, I'm bowing

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. Brandon Jacobs Jenkins' new play Purpose is directed by Felicia Rashad and features a stellar cast

And we're here in opening night to celebrate with the company. Well, I think that Brandon Jacobs Jenkins has written, I'm going to say it's a modern classic

But the ability for him to put into words these profound thoughts that are beyond just pure drama, pure theatrical literature

This is, I believe, theological. I believe it is spiritual and to be able to put that into words as a rare, rare gift, particularly in the way that he does it

It sounds vernacular and it sounds like as everyday people but when you think about what is being expressed you realize how extraordinary it is And as a writer sometimes myself that not an easy feat

But I think he was channeling something, and any attention that he gets for this will be well earned

I am overjoyed, and it feels great. This is the place I would rather be on the earth

It's on Broadway and in the theater. Anywhere in the theater, these guys

This is the top tier that you aspire to work with. I mean, what else could I have asked for

but to be on a stage and have the camaraderie and the give and take of such a talented

Now, you know, Kara, who doesn't love Kara Young? I mean, come on now

And that's like my little baby girl. So for me, I'm happy every night to Alana, you know, John

John, who is out there the entire time. Glenn and my Harry

Come on, I'm happy. I feel honored. Honored to be with them especially the fact that they have done this show before at Steppenwolf in Chicago They welcomed both Latanya and myself with open arms and a warm heart And I just being with them every night for the last since we started previews has been one of the greatest joys in my life

I feel like every time, you know, we get to share a story on stage, it feels like a great joy, you know

And so being with them, it feels incredibly, I just feel honored, super honored

sharing the stage with this incredible cast. Tell me what that experience has been like

It's like they assembled the Avengers. And I feel like the new kid that comes in and has to sort of find their place

But no, my character in particular gets moments with each one of these cast members

And I get to see these generational talents at work one-on-one and be the recipient of that

So I really just have to be present with them and whatever needs to happen happens

because of the caliber of work that they bring to the table. Dreams come true, dreams come true on top of dreams come true

Like I am really really really living a very very beautiful dream and I so thankful I feel incredibly blessed and I think that this is one of the most fabulous plays of all time

I would be so interested to see what happens to this play because it is a

very special play so everything feels incredibly special for this to be my

Broadway debut with this incredibly special play. When we did it in Stepperwolf the first preview we knew we had something special

We had this beautiful play, and we had this writer who was invigorated to write something special for this company of artists

But we didn't know until we got that first audience what it would actually do, how it would affect people

People from all different backgrounds of demographics come to this play and say, I see my mother, I see my sister, I see my brother, I see my father

That is the human experience. And so for this play about this specific group of people to be affecting people in this

way is a dream. It's the best case scenario for a play that starts at Steppenwolf

breaks every record that we have, became the all-time highest grossing play in Steppenwolf history

and then to come here to New York and what feels like be just as vital, just as viable