Not everyone knows the story of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall — Mr. Civil Rights — but this current production from Cleveland Play House offers a perfect glimpse into the life of a man who fought hard to upend the "separate-but-equal" decision during his time at the highest level of the court. The story tackles the determination and courage of an American hero, with film and TV veteran Lester Purry taking the stage.
Ahead of the show's final weekend, we caught up with Purry to discuss the role and what the performance means to him personally.
Cleveland Magazine: Does this role have any special significance for you, either professionally or personally?
Lester Purry: All the way around. This is about fighting for justice, fighting for civil rights. A lot of what this play talks about involves segregation in South Carolina. I was born and raised in South Carolina. I remember a lot of fighting, a lot of the things that the different governors were saying in favor of segregation, what the lawyer who fought for segregation with the Supreme Court was saying about having their daughters sit next to certain people in school. And so I vividly remember hearing those things. It’s personal. And a lot of what's going on in the Supreme Court today, oddly enough, this is all things that were happening from the '40s-'60s, and it is so relevant as to what's happening today and what people are experiencing today with the fight for social injustice.
CM: I believe this play is a one-man show? Had you ever done a solo show before this production?
Purry: Yes, a one-man show called Malcolm X by August Wilson, but usually a one-man show is about an hour. This is a two-hour show, and it covers 55 years of Thurgood Marshall’s life fighting for civil rights. This will be my fourth time in the theater doing this production.
CM: What does being Thurgood mean to you in terms of the performance?
Purry: Well, I will say it's a calling. There's a lot about this that people think they know. But people come through this play and they are shocked with how much information and how much factual knowledge that they did not know — not only about Thurgood Marshall but about the fight for civil rights and how people inside and outside of government fought it and how long it actually took. So that I get to honor this man, by embodying a small part of it.
CM: Is there anything in particular you’d like viewers to take away from this production?
Purry: No matter where they are, where they are and whatever their occupation may be, they can make a difference. Just as an individual, they can make a difference. It doesn't have to be national. Speaking to the life of one person, sometimes is standing up for injustice, and it could just be the injustice from one person, could be injustice from a family member. It could be educating yourself. Reading books, watching movies that have to do with the fight for social injustice, to inform yourself.
CM: Is there anything you’d especially like viewers–or readers–to know?
Purry: That this play is about politics, it is about justice, but it is also incredibly entertaining. No one will leave disappointed. It’s a beautiful production: the lighting, the projections, is a multimedia experience.
Tickets are still on sale at for Thurgood, which runs until Oct. 1 at Allen Theatre.
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