Tyler Perry, Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith among those fighting to keep open Broadway play, ‘Ain’t No Mo’
The Jordan E. Cooper play is scheduled to close nearly two weeks after opening to rave reviews.
“Ain’t No Mo'” isn’t leaving “The Great White Way” without a fight! The critically acclaimed new play from the mind of Jordan E. Cooper recently announced its closing date of Dec. 18, just two weeks after officially opening on Broadway.
Despite the Broadway “eviction notice,” show creator Cooper has started a very public campaign to save the show, one that has grabbed the attention of many, including major stars like Tyler Perry, Will Smith and Jada Pinket-Smith.
“Ain’t No Mo’,” boasting a producer’s list that includes the likes of Lee Daniels, RuPaul Charles, Jeremy O. Harris, Gabrielle Union, Dwayne Wade and others, earned rave reviews when it debuted.
Cooper, who also is behind the hit series, “The Ms. Pat Show,” asks a simple question in “the comedic “Ain’t No Mo'”: “What if the U.S. government attempted to solve racism by offering Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa?”
When the closing date was set, Cooper turned to Instagram to drum up support. “We’re doing something new on Broadway, but is Broadway ready? I believe great things happen in this world when the world ain’t ready. Help us get it ready by spreading the word and showing up to support.”
Since that post, the show has received massive support from the likes of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith and Tyler Perry, who bought out entire performances.
Speaking about his initial Instagram post, in which he referred to the closing date as an “eviction notice,” Cooper told The Hollywood Reporter, “That was more of a metaphor. Basically the Shuberts were like ‘You’ve got to close on December 18.’ Thankfully, they’ve been really nice. They’re not like some evil landlords. They were really nice as far as the movement goes trying to see, ‘Can you guys make it? Can you do it?’ So that’s why we’re really pushing right now.”
Cooper added, “I always say, where I’m from, ‘If somebody can’t make rent, we throw a rent party.’ We’re going to be throwing a rent party in this theater for the next eight shows to let this kind of theater survive on Broadway.”
Tickets for the remaining performances of “Ain’t No Mo'” (Dec. 14 through Dec. 18) can be purchased here.
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