BLACK NO MORE Reviews

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 9:05am

The New Group's world premiere of Black No More—the new musical inspired by George S. Schuyler’s 1931 Afrofuturist novel of the same name set during the Harlem Renaissance—officially opens February 15 following previews that began January 20.

Directed by Scott Elliott with choreography by Tony winner Bill T. Jones, the production features Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots—who also co-wrote the show—along with Tony-nominated actor and Tony-winning producer Brandon Victor Dixon(Hamilton, Power), Tony winner Lillias White (Chicago, The Life), Tony nominee Jennifer Damiano (Next to Normal), Tamika Lawrence (If/Then), Theo Stockman (American Psycho), Tracy Shayne (Bronx Bombers), Tony nominee Ephraim Sykes (Ain't Too Proud, Hamilton), Tony nominee Howard McGillin (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), and Gaelen Gilliland (Legally Blonde).

The ensemble includes Leanne Antonio, Rhaamell Burke-Missouri, Elijah A. Carter, Ryan Fitzgerald, Polanco Jones Jr., Zachary Daniel Jones, Sarah Meahl, Mary Page Nance, Oneika Phillips, Nicholas Ranauro, Malaiyka Reid, Mars Rucker, Angela M. Sauers, Akron Watson, Nyla Watson, and Edward Watts.

The musical, originally announced for fall 2020, tells the story of Max Disher (Dixon), who’s eager to try the mysterious machine invented by Dr. Junius Crookman (Trotter) that guarantees to “solve the American race problem"—by turning Black people white.

Black No More features lyrics by Trotter; music by Trotter, Anthony Tidd, James Poyser, and Tony winner Daryl Waters; and a book by John Ridley, as well as music supervision, orchestrations, and vocal arrangements by Waters. The staging also has music direction and dance arrangements by Zane Mark, scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Qween Jean, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, wig and hair design by Nikiya Mathis, and casting by The Telsey Office's Rebecca Scholl and Kristian Charbonier.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 7:46pm

Review: In ‘Black No More,’ Race Is Skin Deep, but Racism Isn’t - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 8:16pm

Not a rave nor a critics’s pick…but that’s a damn good review.  Green is giving his notes for improvement while allowing himself the room to go full rave in the show’s next iteration. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 9:03pm

Play Esq. said: "Not a rave nor a critics’s pick…but that’s a damn good review. Green is giving his notes for improvement while allowing himself the room to go full rave in the show’s next iteration."

Nice to see Green improving himself with this review… hoping this can be the start of a trend towards more well-written notices in the future; they don’t necessarily have to be raves. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/15/22 at 10:58pm

It's an articulate and encouraging review, but I'm kind of flummoxed re: his praise of the female characters and the score. He's certainly saying it needs work before a future life, tho.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/16/22 at 1:30am

https://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/black-no-more_93368.html

 

https://newyorktheater.me/2022/02/15/black-no-more-review/

 

https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/ob/02_15_22.html

 

https://www.thewrap.com/black-no-more-off-broadway-review-musical-george-schuyler/

 

https://www.theatrely.com/post/black-no-more-has-blues-but-no-bite-review

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 2/16/22 at 2:53pm

While I wish no bad will on the artists involved, I'm so glad these reviews were bad!

This show needs so much work.

Good reviews could have propelled it forward to a place it's not ready for.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/16/22 at 5:24pm

RUkiddingme said: "While I wish no bad will on the artists involved, I'm so glad these reviews were bad!

This show needs so much work.

Good reviews could have propelled it forward to a place it's not ready for."

While the NYT remains the only review that counts financially, I think the transient nature of theatre critics has put an end to moving a show to Bway on the strength of one review. Something like TUCK EVERLASTING, which moved to Broadway on a rave Charles Isherwood review, was lucky that he was still reviewing at the time of its opening. Something like INDECENT and SWEAT, which he loved and then Brantley was less fond of, was unlucky (and of course risky of the producers for putting that much stock in one man's review).

Jesse Green's review of BLACK NO MORE is mixed and could be more positive by the time Broadway comes around if they do the right work....but by the time Broadway comes around, someone else could be reviewing!

Hopefully this team will double down and put in the work.

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 2/16/22 at 6:28pm

Green is exceedingly kind in his review. Compared to how harsh he's been with some other shows... he is not a very consistent critic.

[OffOnBwayHi]

Posted: 2/16/22 at 10:23pm

Synecdoche2 said: "Green isexceedinglykind in his review. Compared to how harsh he's been with some other shows... he is not a very consistent critic."

Same thoughts! Does he have stock in this show or something...?

'Black No More' is just simply bad imho. I have no desire to see this move forward. What are they going to do? Rewrite the entire show...?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/16/22 at 10:45pm

Green is not the first critic to give shows a "pass" when they see potential that hasn't been fully realized. Anyone who reads a synopsis of the source material could tell you "oh yeah, there could be a great musical in that." I didn't personally like the show, but it's ambitious and hell. Give me this over Gettin' the Band Back Together or Pretty Woman any day.

It may not ever get to the point of being a GREAT musical, but it could at least become a good, interesting musical or cult artifact.

Updated On: 2/16/22 at 10:45 PM

[akhoya87]

Posted: 2/16/22 at 11:12pm

The New York Post review speaks for me:

https://nypost.com/2022/02/15/black-no-more-review-off-broadway-musical-is-a-mess/

[OffOnBwayHi]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 8:23am

akhoya87 said: "The New York Post review speaks for me:

https://nypost.com/2022/02/15/black-no-more-review-off-broadway-musical-is-a-mess/"

lol This is a very accurate/honest review lol

Spot on.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 8:47am

“The musical is a colossal waste of talent.”

I had no idea who was in the show, but after reading that Post review…damn. It’s wild that they got THIS cast for what seems to be such a underbaked show. Do we think it’s because of the source material? 

[Owen22]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 9:26am

That New York Post review was right that the show is "a mess" (the encouraging Times review said the same thing). But it is a 100% salvageable mess. Would Elliott let another director to take a shot at this since it originated in his theatre? I believe he is the only non person of color working on it, so perhaps a black director with an eye toward dramaturgical structure (would George C Wolfe take a stab at sloppy seconds, if said seconds had a score with the potential to be an easy Tony winner/chart topper?).

[joevitus]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 1:31pm

Lost interest when I found they--what other word would do--whitewashed the original novel, and decided George Schuyler, who wrote it, was just being a "smart ass." That's a quote.

I really wish, instead of having a Black actor continue to play the role after the transformation, as if everyone saw him as white, instead they had a white actor standing beside him, that he manipulated and provided the voice for, the way we always see the puppeteers manipulating the puppets in Avenue Q, etc. We'd see it was really him, but everyone would interact with the white "puppet." I think for this kind of piece, which is outrageous satire, that would have been a striking visual joke/commentary. 

Updated On: 2/17/22 at 01:31 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 1:36pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "It’s wild that they got THIS cast for what seems to be such a underbaked show. Do we think it’s because of the source material?"


It's written by an Oscar winning screenwriter and a guy from The Roots, choreographed by a Tony winner, music directed/orchestrated by a Tony winner, and above all produced by Jeffrey Seller (of HAMILTON, RENT, and IN THE HEIGHTS) with eyes towards Broadway. That alone is enough for stage actors who aren't box office commodities to say "yeah, I'll do some readings and an off-Bway production to see where this goes."

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 2:29pm

I think Elliot was/is 100% the wrong director for this as evidenced by the big letters saying Harlem. He's out of touch with what's cool and hip and it shows in this.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 3:07pm

What's with all of these shows using the large rolling letters? It worked in Company. Didn't work in MJ. Now this where apparently doesn't work either. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 3:20pm

Honestly didn't feel it really worked in Company. Felt cheesy too. Like we get it, we're in NYC. We get it we're in Harlem. It's all a little too obvious.

Derek McLane did this and MJ so maybe that's his thing? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 3:33pm

RippedMan said: "I think Elliot was/is 100% the wrong director for this as evidenced by the big letters saying Harlem. He's out of touch with what's cool and hip and it shows in this."

The issue is that John Ridley brought it to Elliot as a play. Elliot is the one who thought it could make a good musical, and then he brought on Black Thought to write the score. He's been involved from the very beginning (and is close with Jeffrey Seller), so I will assume that it's nearly impossible to replace him.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 3:42pm

But who, in 2022, thought an older white male directing a show titled "black no more" would be a good idea? I think at least bring in a show doctor to help out as The New Group has a terrible record with new musicals as it is.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 3:53pm

The problem with New Group -- unfortunately -- seems to lie squarely with Scott Elliott.  He's great at schmoozing stars and getting them to be in his shows, but his directing record (both at New Group and on Broadway) is abysmal.  

[joevitus]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 4:57pm

RippedMan said: "But who, in 2022, thought an older white male directing a show titled "black no more" would be a good idea? I think at least bring in a show doctor to help out as The New Group has a terrible record with new musicals as it is."

Probably the same sort of person who would be okay bringing in a a Black person to direct a production of The Sound of Music? An all-white team doing this material would obviously be a fail, but if we're at the point where we're treating black shows essentially like segregationists once treated people ("one drop of white creative input and your show no longer qualifies as Black", then we're all doing something wrong.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/17/22 at 5:27pm

This show has many issues, but I agree that Scott Elliott is at the core of many of the most fundamental ones. While I agree with Joevitus that the director didn't necessarily HAVE to be Black, the show needed a director who understood the Afrofutirst genre on a deeper lever. A director who would help mold and shape the tone of the show, to form a clear cohesive vision for the satirical/fantastical world of the play, a consistent directorial language for everyone (artists + audience) to be on the same page. 

Elliott seemed too focused on putting up a sleek, polished, Broadway-ready production than he was in actually DIRECTING the material.