FAT HAM

by James IJames
South Carolina Premiere
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
September 2024

“It’s Shakespeare . . . kind of.” When the ghost of his father shows up in the backyard, demanding revenge for his murder, it feels like a familiar story to Juicy, a queer Southern college kid who is well-versed in Hamlet’s woes. Against the backdrop of an uproarious family barbecue emerges a compelling examination of love and loss, pain and joy. Fat Ham is a delectably modern reinvention of a classic recipe, seasoned to perfection.

“HILARIOUS yet PROFOUND” —The New York Times

“DELICIOUS, FUNNY and piercingly MOVING, Fat Ham is a celebration that’s as thoughtful as it is IRREVERENT.” —The Daily Beast

“UPROARIOUS . . . an unalloyed
COMEDY PLEASURE.” —The Wall Street Journal

The Last Five Years

written & Composed by
Jason Robert Brown
Drama Desk Winner for Music & Lyrics
November 2024

In The Last Five Years, love, heartache, and the passage of time are woven together with music in a mesmerizing journey—from the meet-cute to the break-up and then somehow right back to the start again. First produced at PURE 15 years ago, this freshly reimagined staging showcases his and hers vocal powerhouses in a passionate and intimate take on one of contemporary theatre’s most beloved musicals that has just the right amount of schmaltz.

“JAW-DROPPING! A gem of a show from Jason Robert Brown” —New York Magazine

“It’s instantly clear . . . that this POIGNANT, richly dramatic and piercingly HONEST two-character show is destined to be A HIT.” —The Chicago-Sun Times

The Shark Is Broken

by Ian Shaw & Joseph Nixon
SouthEast Regional Premiere
January–February 2025

The open ocean, 1974. Filming is delayed . . . again. The lead actors—theatre veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider—are crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Alcohol flows, egos collide, and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic . . . if it doesn’t sink them all. Inspired by Robert Shaw’s experience playing Quint on the notorious shoot, The Shark Is Broken celebrates movie history and peeks at the choppy waters behind Hollywood’s first blockbuster.

“LAUGHS APLENTY . . . a WILD RIDE” —Entertainment Weekly

“A MOVING comedy-drama . . . a little pearl of a play . . . tension, humor, depth, silliness and horror coming like waves lapping the boat.” —AP News

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B

by Kate Hamill
Southeast Regional Premiere
March 2025

Oddball female roommates Sherlock (yes, it’s also a girl’s name—wait, is it a girl’s name? Is it even a name?) Holmes & Joan Watson join forces to emerge from pandemic fog as a deeply codependent, quasi-dysfunctional adventure duo—solving mysteries and kicking butts, until they come face to face with a villain who seems to have all of the answers. An irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick, this fast-paced romp reexamines the world’s most famous detective story with a bold new feminist lens.

“Hamill’s adaptations of the classics are endlessly INGENIOUS” —The Wall Street Journal

“DELIGHTFUL and ENTERTAINING” —BroadwayWorld

Pleasure Never Lies

Book & Lyrics by Marshall Hagins
Music by Brad Moranz
Story Conceived by Noah Brody
& Marshall Hagins
World Premiere
April – May 2025

Dr. Samantha Williams is a brilliant but slightly insecure ornithologist . . . and let’s face it, who wouldn’t be, with radical, slightly feminist ideas about evolution bubbling up in one’s head? Ideas like the pursuit of pleasure (gasp!) is the second great engine of evolution! What if “survival of the fittest” is only half the story? Sam, along with a ragtag group of bird scientists, struggle to prove their theories on love, life, and evolution from deep within the jungles of Papua New Guinea in this quirky and clever world premiere musical from Broadway veterans Marshall Hagins, Noah Brody (Fiasco Theater), and Charleston’s own Brad Moranz.

SEASON 22 FLEX PASS

Your Season 22 Flex Pass includes five flexible tickets to be used in any combination you wish, plus all the benefits of subscribing to PURE, including first access to seats, discounts on additional tickets purchased, ticket flexibility, access to PURE Live events, and membership in our exclusive Dining Benefits program offered in partnership with our friends at Charleston Arts Festival for discounts and special offers at some of Charleston’s finest restaurants.