Broadway Recommendation: AIN’T NO MO (Belasco Theatre)

GIMME MO, MO, MO

Ain’t No Mo began previews last night on Broadway (the official opening is Dec 1, 2022), having transferred from The Public Theater, where I caught it. It’s a must-see. Ain’t No Mo’ dares to ask the incendiary question, “What if the U.S. government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa?” It’s a cutting-edge scabrous satire that goes from serious to camp to absurd and back again. It’s an impressive debut from the mischievous mind of Jordan E. Cooper, the youngest American playwright in Broadway history — and one with a a distinctive voice.

Producer Lee Daniels makes a curtain speech in front of a packed house.
Photo by Krista Schlueter

Ain’t No Mo’ is an unpredictable comedy that speeds through the turbulent skies of being Black in today’s America. With an uncompromising point of view, the series of surrealistic sketches performed by bravura actors is a humorous, poignant & harsh look at the state of Black affairs in post-Obama America. I loved it because it’s relevant theater that pushes boundaries while possibly making you feel a little uncomfortable. And it’s outrageously funny. Think sketch comedy meets social commentary meets black church meets a stark examination of race relations.

The cast

The cast includes author Jordan E. Cooper as Peaches, Fedna Jacquet (Passenger #1), Marchánt Davis (Passenger #2), Shannon Matesky (Passenger #3), Ebony Marshall-Oliver (Passenger #4), and Crystal Lucas-Perry (Passenger #5). Understudies are Nik Alexander (u/s Peaches & Passenger #2), Jasminn Johnson (u/s Passenger #3 & Passenger #4), Michael Rishawn (u/s Passenger #2 & Peaches), Kedren Spencer (u/s Passenger #5 & Passenger #1), Brennie Tellu (u/s Passenger #4 & Passenger #5), and Emma Van Lare (u/s Passenger #1 & Passenger #3).

The design team for Ain’t No Mo’ includes three-time Tony Award^® winner Scott Pask (scenic design), two-time Tony Award nominee Emilio Sosa (costume design), Adam Honoré (lighting design), Jonathan Deans & Taylor Williams (co-sound design), and Mia M. Neal (wig design).