( ENSPIRE Music ) “Aint No Mo’” Extends Broadway Run to December 2022
ENSPIRE Contributor: Gabel Strickland
Broadway Musical “Ain’t No Mo” will extend its Broadway run until Friday, December 23rd. Tickets are available now at aintnomobway.com. The show had previously been set to close on Sunday, but fan backlash pushed back the closing date after #SaveAintNoMo went viral. Show creator Jordan E. Cooper started the hashtag in an attempt to garner support for the show’s continuance after it was nearly closed. He expressed his gratitude to the audience after a show last Friday.
“I wasn’t going to take it without a fight. I put out a call to action to the community to help us out because we didn’t get a chance to find an audience before we got a closing notice,” Cooper said. “I just want to tell you how grateful I am and tell you how powerful ya’ll are because now we’ve been extended for another week.”
The premise of “Ain’t No Mo” is that the U.S. government attempts to solve racism by offering Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa. It’s a flashy, laughable show that aims to explore the BIPOC experience in America through a blend of comedy and commentary. In addition to Cooper, the cast includes Fedna Jacquet (Passenger #1), Marchánt Davis (Passenger #2), Shannon Matesky (Passenger #3), Ebony Marshall-Oliver (Passenger #4), and Crystal Lucas-Perry (Passenger #5). 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).
Vulture described the production as “jubilantly disruptive” and Variety said it was “fearlessly provocative.” By Friday, December 23rd, “Ain’t No Mo” will have played 22 preview performances and 29 shows. Fans value the BIPOC representation “Ain’t No Mo” brings to Broadway. This was one reason, in addition to the show’s humor and theatrics, that she show saw so much support for its continuance.
“We can show that shows like this can have a space on Broadway,” Cooper said. “We won a battle but we still got a war with the system. And I need y’all’s help to keep us going and to keep us running.”
Cooper made it clear that he intends to keep advocating for the show, and hopes his fans will join him in doing so. Cooper envisions that support for the show will continue to push its cancellation date further and further away…that is, until there is nothing to worry about anymore. Cooper shared this hope with the audience after his performance on Friday.
“We’ve got one more week. One more week to prove a point. And with y’all’s help, we can turn that week into another week, into another week, into another week,” Cooper said. “If you were touched by anything that happened on this stage tonight, please tell somebody, share with somebody, buy somebody a ticket, come back, whatever it takes, make a post if that’s all you can do. Just tell people that we’re doing something special here. We’re going to change the face of Broadway so that somebody who comes after us doesn’t have to do all this work. And with y’all’s help, they won’t have to.”
Numerous celebrities have already come out in support of the show. Famous supporters include Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Gabrielle Union, Dwayne Wade, Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes, Sara Ramirez, and so many more. Even Whoopi Goldberg posted a video to Instagram with Cooper encouraging others to see the show.
“Everybody needs to come out and see this not just to support them but because its brilliantly written, wonderfully acted, and the actors are great,” Goldberg said. “And you know, you’ve got a little time now, you’ve got a little dough, buy a ticket. Buy a ticket for a friend, bring a friend. Bring somebody you don’t even want to talk to because you’ll be talking to them after this.”
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