Hollywood celebrities help new Broadway play “Ain’t No Mo'” stay open: “I’m just so honored and so humbled.”
NEW YORK – The show resumes for a new Broadway play after several high-profile celebrities gather to “is not a mo“It’s going to be at least another week.
Hollywood celebrities were among those who drove a successful campaign that extended this show beyond its actual closing night.
Jordan E. Cooper plays the fearless flight attendant Peaches, and he wrote the play.
Sharing the good news with audiences on Thursday night, he announced, “I want to tell you how powerful you all are because now we’ve been extended for another week.”
Just days earlier, Cooper thought it was all over.
CBS2’s Dave Carlin sat him down at the Civilian Hotel in the Theater District.
“I literally stared at the opening flowers when I just heard about a closing announcement,” Cooper said.
“How did you get this extension?” Carlin asked.
“It just didn’t suit me. You know, I always say I don’t mind going down, but I don’t believe in going down without a fight, right? And so I sent out a call to action to the communities at large,” Cooper said.
Cooper launched a foray on social media. First, the community responded with people buying tickets. Then some big stars helped out.
“Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith bought a house for the show, then we went to Tyler Perry and Tyler Perry bought a house and Shonda Rhimes and Sara Ramirez,” Cooper said. “I’m just so honored and so humbled.”
Cooper began writing plays at the age of 10 in Hearst, Texas. He moved to New York City, graduated from the New School, and at 27 million years old became the youngest black playwright in Broadway history.
Now more people can see his fun, provocative play.
“What is ‘Ain’t No Mo’?” Carlin asked.
“So basically ‘Ain’t No Mo’ is a story about if every black person in America gets an email saying they have to go back to Africa and you watch all these people across the country do it they decide whether or not to get on the last plane out of America,” Cooper said.
Cooper says as the campaign continues to grow, he continues to believe his show will have more opportunities to fly on Broadway.
A similar grassroots campaign last season extended the series of revivals of “for girls of color who’ve contemplated suicide / when the rainbow’s enough”.
David Carlin
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