It is not hard to see why this musical, which opened on Broadway 34 years ago, has never made it to this country before. It is the story of Purlie Victorious, a preacher in a former slave town in the deep south where the local landowner still treats the black cotton pickers as though they belong to him, who is determined to reclaim the local church for the people.
The show combines mild late 1960s-style black consciousness-raising with mournful laments and happy gospel numbers. This may sound extremely curious - and it is rather hard to tell (even from the costumes) quite when the play is supposed to be set (late 1950s or early 1960s, I guess) - but that is not to say it is bad.
There are still not enough musicals about black experience and, for that matter, few plays. Musical theatre buffs will be keen to see this rarity and there is plenty for the rest of us to enjoy in Gary Geld's toe-tapping score and Omar F Okai's old-fashioned but vibrant production.
And even if there wasn't breakdancing in Georgia in 1959, who cares? Geld's score is also effective in some of its quieter moments, reaching an emotional depth and addressing the ideals at stake that the book by Ossie Davis never even begins to achieve. But this is a musical, not a Black Panther rally, and the show's heart, good intentions and strong sense of injustice are clear for all to see. Purlie may be unsophisticated in both form and politics, but it makes for two and a half hours of rousing fun.
· Until October 2. Box office: 020-7936 3456.
