BILLY PORTER RETURNS TO DIRECTING

Following his commercial break performance at the Tonys that went viral, Billy Porter is heading to Boston to direct the world premiere of a play with a strong rap element.

Porter will direct Dan McCabe’s The Purists at the Huntington Theatre; it opens 8/30 and runs through 9/29.

Set in the New York borough of Queens, the show’s main characters are a former rapper, a DJ and a showtunes-loving telesales director. With humor and a rap battle, The Purists poses questions about friendship, embracing new ideas and being your true self.

Porter says, “it's really about a group of people who are on opposite ends of the spectrum who choose to understand each other, who choose to love each other through their differences. I think that's a very important message today.”

Known mainly as singer and actor, Porter has a history as director as well, having directed George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum and Suzan-Lori Parks’ Top Dog/Underdog at the Huntington and another 10 shows elsewhere.