Brenda Pressley to Succeed LaTanya Richardson Jackson in Purpose on Broadway

Brenda Pressley will join the cast of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Purpose at the Hayes Theater. Pressley takes over the role of matriarch Claudine Jasper on July 15, replacing the production's original Tony-nominated Claudine, LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

Jackson was previously scheduled to appear in the show through July 6 and has now extended her run to July 13. The production, directed by Phylicia Rashad, will run through August 31.

Pressley began her theatrical career in And Still I Rise, written and directed by Maya Angelou, and has performed on Broadway in the original company of Dreamgirls, as well as in The Lyons opposite Linda Lavin, Richard Greenberg’s The American Plan and Cats. Pressley will join the current acclaimed ensemble of Purpose, which includes Jon Michael Hill, Harry Lennix, Glenn Davis, Alana Arenas and Kara Young.

Set in the home of a powerful Black family, Purpose follows the return of the youngest son—and an unexpected guest—that forces the Jaspers to confront faith, identity and the echoes of Black radicalism. The production earned six 2025 Tony Award nominations, with nods for Hill, Lennix, Davis and Jackson, and wins for Best Play and for Young's featured performance (her second consecutive Tony win).