No longer booking
  • Venue Kiln Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 21 December 2024
  • Running time 2 hours 15 minutes (including interval)
  • Age guidelines 14+

Get The Purists Tickets at the Kiln Theatre in London

Experience the critically acclaimed New York comedy The Purists, making its European premiere at the Kiln Theatre in London.

In this funny and thought-provoking play, subcultures and generations collide on a stoop in Queens, New York. Written by Dan McCabe, The Purists follows three unlikely friends — a former rapper, a DJ, and a showtunes-loving telesales director—who bond over their love of music. When an impromptu rap battle erupts between two young female emcees, they are forced to confront their convictions on race, sexuality, and music. With raw emotion and humour, The Purists asks: What is friendship? How can we embrace new ideas? And what does it mean to be yourself?

The cast features Jasper Britton (Plague Over England, Jerusalem) as Gerry Brinsler, Tiffany Gray (Between Riverside and Crazy) as Val Kano, Emma Kingston (The Band’s Visit, Heathers The Musical) as Nancy Reinstein, Richard Pepple (High Life, Conbra) as Mr. Bugz, and Sule Rimi (Blues For an Alabama Sky, Sweat) as Lamont Born Cipher.

Don’t miss your chance to see this funny and emotional comedy. Book your tickets now.

The Purists runs from 14 November to 21 December 2024 at the Kiln Theatre.

On their stoop in Queens, New York, Lamont, a legendary emcee and Mr Bugz, a hall-of-fame DJ, have been winding up Gerry, a musical lover, for as long as they can remember.  

But when two young women, Nancy and Val, put their rap battling skills to the test, they are forced to confront their convictions on race, sexuality and music. Struggling with secrets and their fears for the future, they realise they have more in common than they thought.  

How far would you go to speak your truth?

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Performance Information

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Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of The Purists?

Stars Jasper Britton as Gerry Brinsler, Tiffany Gray as Val Kano, Emma Kingston as Nancy Reinstein, Richard Pepple as Mr. Bugz, Sule Rimi as Lamont Born Cipher.

Who are the creative team of The Purists?

Written by Dan McCabe

Director: Amit Sharma; Assistant Director: Imy Wyatt Corner; Set Designer: Tom Piper; Costume Designer: Ruth Badila; LX Designer: Oliver Fenwick; Sound Designer: Tony Gayle; Casting Director: Isabella Odoffin

Important Notes

Access performances: Captioned Performance: Mon 9 Dec, 7.30pm; Relaxed Performance: Sat 14 Dec, 2.30pm; Touch Tour: Thu 19 Dec, 6pm; Audio Described Performance: Thu 19 Dec, 7.30pm

Content warnings: Mild swearing; Themes include Homophobia, racism, transphobia, misogyny, sex work, AIDS epidemic, drugs, cultural appropriation

Venue Information

Kiln Theatre , 269 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 7JR

Nearest Tube or Train: Kilburn (Jubilee line) / Brondesbury rail station

Nearest Buses: 16, 32, 189, 332, 632

Directions

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Critics' reviews of The Purists

★★★★★ "Themes are layered, performances impressively humane, and the witty dialogue fizzes" - Ham & High

★★★★ "Dan McCabe’s touching play. Directed with charm and thoughtfulness by Amit Sharma" - The Stage

★★★★ "The dialogue is fast-paced and the play is high-energy" - What's On Stage

"Jasper Britton is superb" - The Times

Frequently Asked Questions

The Purists is playing at the Kiln Theatre in London
The running time of The Purists is 2 hours 15 minutes (including interval)
The age recommendations for The Purists are: 14+
Yes, The Purists has matinee performances on the following days: Saturday
No, sorry, The Purists has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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