AIN’T NO MO On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:23am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Jordan-E-Coopers-AINT-NO-MO-Will-Come-to-Broadway-in-November-20220711

Producers Academy Award® nominee Lee Daniels and Brian Anthony Moreland will present the comedy, Ain't No Mo' written by and starring Jordan E. Cooper, on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre (111 W. 44th St.). The production will begin previews on Thursday, November 3 ahead of an official opening on Thursday, December 1, 2022.

Having premiered to critical acclaim at The Public Theater, 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?" The answer is the high-octane comedy about being Black in today's America from the mischievous mind of playwright Jordan E. Cooper ("The Ms. Pat Show". Seamlessly blending sketch comedy, satire and avant garde theater, Ain't No Mo' will leave you crying with laughter-and thinking through the tears.

"Not since the original Dreamgirls, have I been so moved by a piece of theater. I knew it would take something extraordinary to finally lure me to Broadway, and Ain't No Mo' is it. Jordan E. Cooper is a revelation and I can't wait for a whole new audience to lay witness to what he has created. Broadway ain't gon' be the same!" said Producer Lee Daniels.

Updated On: 11/29/22 at 10:23 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:29am

Aaaaand there goes the last of Mockingbird’s chances of returning. 

Honestly not a loss as this show sounds a heck of a lot more interesting 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:32am

Very exciting, and well-deserved!

Worth noting that, while it's the same director as before, the scenic designer and costume designer are different, suggesting the physical production will not be a replica of what played at the Public. 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:36am

quizking101 said: "Aaaaand there goes the last of Mockingbird’s chances of returning.

Honestly not a loss as this show sounds a heck of a lot more interesting"

Don't count your chickens before they hatch...

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:36am

quizking101 said: "Aaaaand there goes the last of Mockingbird’s chances of returning.

Honestly not a loss as this show sounds a heck of a lot more interesting"

I think I remember reading in a recent post from troynow (who correctly called this taking the Belasco) that Mockingbird was looking at moving into the Music Box after Evan Hansen finishes its run.

[troynow]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:50am

NOPE! Mockingbbird is coming. It has just moved to the Music Box. 

[troynow]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:51am

@BroadwayGuy12

THANK YOU!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 10:59am

Once again, I fear for the financial prospects of all these plays without stars that are being announced, even if they are relatively cheap. Even revivals of Topdog/Underdog and Death of a Salesman are far from sure bets. Similarly, I just don't know what kind of appetite there is going to be for MOCKINGBIRD with Greg Kinnear when so many people already saw it with Jeff Daniels and/or Ed Harris.

[lachri5]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:00am

https://aintnomobway.com/

Updated On: 7/11/22 at 11:00 AM

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:06am

Excited for this one! 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:06am

lachri5 said: "https://aintnomobway.com/"

Flaunting Lee Daniels' name –– a name that means virtually nothing to mass audiences –– as a "creator" and producer is so beyond tacky. Even more so than his film Lee Daniels' The Butler, since he didn't write or direct this play.

Updated On: 7/11/22 at 11:06 AM

[Sauja]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:17am

Score another one for troynow! Now I’m still just trying to figure out what “New York, New York” is that’s coming in!

[OhHiii]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:17am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "lachri5 said: "https://aintnomobway.com/"

Flaunting Lee Daniels' name –– a name that means virtually nothing to mass audiences –– as a "creator" and producer is so beyond tacky. Even more so than his filmLee Daniels' The Butler,since he didn't write or direct this play."

You shouldn't speak on which you do not know. Lee Daniels is a renowned name in the Black community and your ignorance of his body of work speaks volumes. Yikes. Productions have used producing credits of famous people for years. Alicia Keys with Stickfly, the bevy of celebrity names attached to Strange Loop, etc. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:28am

OhHiii said: "You shouldn't speak on which you do not know. Lee Daniels is a renowned name in the Black community and your ignorance of his body of work speaks volumes. Yikes. Productions have used producing credits of famous people for years. Alicia Keys with Stickfly, the bevy of celebrity names attached to Strange Loop, etc."

I've seen all his films. Promoting Alicia Keys and Bette Midler's names so prominently as producers were equally egregious, and while Strange Loop's names would be tacky if they hadn't invested in the show, at least they're not being billed above the title in the advertising, far more prominent than the actual playwright & director. If his name convinces 8,000 people a week to buy tickets at $75+ for a sustained period of time, that's great, but I highly doubt it will be anything close to that level of impact. I'll gladly be proved wrong by the box office receipts.

Updated On: 7/11/22 at 11:28 AM

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:34am

If having no presenting producers name above the title entices no one, but having Lee’s name entices 10, is it really that egregious an action?

SSSSUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPEEERRRRRR excited for this to be coming in!!!

[OhHiii]

Posted: 7/11/22 at 11:37am

Alexander Lamar said: "If having no presenting producers name above the title entices no one, but having Lee’s name entices 10, is it really that egregious an action?

SSSSUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPEEERRRRRR excited for this to be coming in!!!"

To Ermengarde, it's a cardinal sin, apparently.

[Rakesh Natarajan]

Posted: 8/16/22 at 11:31pm

It looks like Ain't No Mo is making its regional premiere at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in DC this September/October. The DC production is also going to be transferring to Baltimore Center Stage (Oct 27 - Nov 20). The two regional productions list Lili-Anne Brown as the director, so it will probably be a completely different production than Broadway (and not just an out-of-town tryout). The Broadway production is directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, who also directed the show at the Public a few years ago.

It just seems a little unusual for a show to be debuting regionally (with a different director) a few months before it debuts on Broadway... especially since the Baltimore Center Stage and Broadway previews overlap a bit. Aren't performance rights usually restricted when a show is about to make its broadway debut?

Updated On: 8/16/22 at 11:31 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 12:02am

That does seem unusual. It’s not so uncommon for Off-Broadway plays to be separately licensed for regional theatres, before the play eventually transfers Broadway. But the timing is a bit odd in this case. Were these productions delayed due to COVID? I wonder if someone is just being good-natured about the usual restrictions, maybe because they mostly anticipate a local NYC audience? Or maybe there’s some other loophole - I’m not an expert on these things. 

[troynow]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 12:46pm

The deal was clearly done before broadway was on the horizon. Sometimes this happens. Probably a carve out of the rights. 

[troynow]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 12:48pm

New York, New York is coming in. That is going to the St.James as of now. After Into the woods.

[pethian]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 1:05pm

troynow said: "New York, New York is coming in. That is going to the St.James as of now. After Into the woods."

I've heard this too. Has there been a production of this anywhere or will Broadway be its first time  on its feet?

[troynow]

Posted: 8/17/22 at 1:37pm

RE: NEW YORK NEW YORK

This will be a cold open. No out of town just the workshops.

Updated On: 10/4/22 at 01:37 PM

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 6:08pm

any casting updates? apart from Jordan reprising his role I have no clue who else is in this, even more bizarre considering it starts previews in a month and started rehearsal this week 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 8:55pm

troynow said: "This will be a cold open. No out of town just the workshops."

I understand there are some new members of the creative team, so it won’t be exactly the same as the production that played at the Public 4 years ago. But still, even if it’s not an exact replica, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s “opening cold” after an NYC run at a major theatre. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 10/4/22 at 9:17pm

JBroadway said: "troynow said: "This will be a cold open. No out of town just the workshops."

I understand there are some new members of the creative team, so it won’t be exactly the same as the production that played at the Public 4 years ago. But still, even if it’s not an exact replica, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s “opening cold” after an NYC run at a major theatre."

I believe he's talking about New York, New York.