There ain’t nothing on Broadway like “Ain’t No Mo’”! It is a comedic production that has timely truths and boldly makes a commentary about the state of Blacks in this country. While you will laugh heartily, this incredible, creative gem from playwright and star Jordan E. Cooper will give you a great deal of food for thought. It’s playing at the Belasco Theatre on W. 44th Street.
Cooper uses vignettes to share many aspects of Black life, from the humorous to the serious and the deadly. He shows the shame of how this country treats Black people and how Blacks are so discouraged from living here that when they are being given free one-way tickets to go “back” to Africa, flights are departing loaded up. Peaches (played by Cooper) is the check-in person at the airport. She stamps the boarding passes and sends people on this journey to the motherland.
I had the great pleasure of experiencing this unique production when it was playing at the Public Theatre and I absolutely loved it! Jordan has a talent and a stunning gift for capturing our stories in a way that offers humor, but also lets us connect with our ancestors, our past, our greatness. Cooper lets everyone know that Black history, culture, music, pain, trauma matter. He shows the outrage of a Black person as he demonstrates how white people are trying to steal what is the very being of Blacks. They want to take everything away from us and send us to Africa, alone, disoriented and afraid.
Cooper tells our stories through sketches performed by five other cast members, who brilliantly portray multiple roles and are referred to as Passenger 1–5. Four of those cast members are from the original off-Broadway cast and they bring the same unbridled energy and perfectly delivered characters as they did with that production. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! This phenomenal cast includes Fedna Jacquet, Passenger 1; Marchant Davis, Passenger 2; Ebony Marshall-Oliver, Passenger 4; and Crystal Lucas-Perry, Passenger 5. A newcomer to the cast, Shannon Matesky coming on board as Passenger 3, is truly demonstrating her acting chops.
This production has captivating direction by Stevie Walker-Webb, who was also its original director.
“Ain’t No Mo’” is one of those productions that I don’t want to let on anything about. I want you to go there and experience this powerful production for yourself. You know that this is an important work because it has caught the attention and financial backing of some incredible Blacks—producers include Lee Daniels; Dwayne Wade, the NBA champion; actress and author Gabrielle Union; RuPaul Charles; playwright Jeremy O. Harris; BET: Black Entertainment Television; CJ Uzomah, New York Jets tight end; and several others.
Please make plans to see “Ain’t No Mo’”—you will want to go back and take others to share this stunning, funny, moving piece of theatrical fare. Cooper will take you to church with this play and he will have the church shouting “AMEN!”