CHICAGO — The 2025 Tony Awards delivered a powerful night of recognition for Black theatre, as Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play Purpose won Best Play, making Jacobs-Jenkins the first Black playwright to win in that category since August Wilson in 1987.
The play, which first premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, also earned Kara Young the award for Best Featured Actress in a Play — her second consecutive Tony and a record-setting fourth nomination.
“This is more than a play. It’s a statement on legacy, politics, and the fractures inside even the most iconic families,” one critic noted.
A Chicago Family Drama That Resonates Nationally
Purpose centers on the Jasper family, a prominent political household in Chicago, whose carefully built legacy begins to unravel over the course of one charged evening. When the youngest son returns home to Illinois with an unexpected guest, ideologies clash and long-held secrets surface.
Directed by Phylicia Rashad, the Broadway production starred:
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LaTanya Richardson Jackson
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Harry Lennix
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Jon Michael Hill
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Alana Arenas
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Glenn Davis
The story’s Chicago roots and themes of Black political power and generational tension gave the play national resonance and helped it emerge as a front-runner in this year’s awards season.
Historic Wins for Kara Young and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
With her Tony win, Kara Young became:
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The first Black performer nominated four years in a row
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The first to win back-to-back Tonys in acting categories
Meanwhile, playwright Jacobs-Jenkins, who previously won a Tony for his 2024 revival of Appropriate, entered the history books alongside the legendary August Wilson.
“We talk a lot about representation, but this is representation meeting mastery,” said one presenter at the ceremony.
Broadway’s Big Night Celebrates Hollywood Crossovers
The 2025 Tonys were packed with star power. Other nominees included:
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George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck)
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Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Blvd.)
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Sadie Sink (John Proctor Is the Villain)
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Audra McDonald (Gypsy)
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Jonathan Groff, Darren Criss, and Mia Farrow also made headlines across acting categories.
Yet it was Purpose — grounded in its Chicago origin and political storytelling — that stole the spotlight.
Did Purpose deserve the Tony for Best Play? What other productions moved you this season?
Join the theater conversation now at ChicagoSuburbanFamily.com.
