BLACK NO MORE Musical premiering at the New Group in January 2022, with a buzzy creative team & cast

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 4:52pm

On paper this sounds promising, though we know with the New Group that sometimes shows are better on paper than in reality.

 
BLACK NO MORE

- Book by John Ridley ("12 Years a Slave" Oscar-winning screenwriter)
- Music and Lyrics by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (of THE ROOTS, Jimmy Fallon's band)
- Directed by Scott Elliott (New Group Artistic Director)
- Choreography by Bill T. Jones (Fela, Spring Awakening)
- Music Supervision/Orchestrations/Arrangements by Daryl Waters (Shuffle Along)

Starring Brandon Victor Dixon, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, Jennifer Damiano, Tamika Lawrence, Theo Stockman, Tracy Shayne, Walter Bobbie, Ephraim Sykes, and Lillias White

 
From the NYT: Based on George S. Schuyler’s 1931 novel of the same name. Schuyler’s satirical story, a piece of the Harlem Renaissance canon, follows the development of Black-No-More, a scientific procedure for turning Black skin white, created by one Dr. Junius Crookman. (Trotter, in a theatrical debut, will also play Crookman in the show.) The protagonist, Max Disher (Brandon Victor Dixon), decides to undergo the procedure after being spurned by a white woman for being Black. In the meantime, Black-No-More gains popularity nationwide. The more Black people make the transition, the more obvious the economic importance of racial segregation becomes.

Updated On: 11/3/21 at 04:52 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 4:54pm

Ugh, anything Brandon Victor Dixon is in I see because that man is a beautiful talent.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 5:06pm

Why do they have an old white dude directing this? OOf. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 5:12pm

Woah!! What a strange, but weirdly beautiful lineup. Awesome that Black Thought will also be in the cast! And for my money, BVD is one of the most skilled musical theatre actors of his generation.

I agree it’s weird that Elliott put himself on this project. The optics of it are a little strange, and while I’ve seen some good work from him before, he’s not exactly a visionary. But oh well, the rest of the team is strong enough that I suspect it will be great.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 5:20pm

Especially since the two authors are both new to musical theatre, it gives me pause that Elliott is directing. Maybe he'll be brilliant, but I would be much more optimistic if this had someone like Rachel Chavkin or George C. Wolfe or Leigh Silverman or Bartlett Sher directing. Someone who can really be "the muscle" of the show...though that didn't work on The Wrong Man.

(Also worth noting that, like Pal Joey, this creative team is all men.)

Updated On: 10/6/21 at 05:20 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 5:28pm

Priority booking and presale happening now, public on sale October 21.

Running January 11th - February 27th 

 

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 6:10pm

Sutton Ross said: "Ugh, anything Brandon Victor Dixon is in I see because that man is a beautiful talent."

Agreeeeee! 

[joevitus]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 6:14pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "On paperthis sounds promising, though we know with the New Group thatsometimes shows are better on paper than in reality.


BLACK NO MORE

- Book by John Ridley("12 Years a Slave" Oscar-winning screenwriter)
- Music and Lyrics by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (of THE ROOTS, Jimmy Fallon's band)
- Directed by Scott Elliott
- Choreography by Bill T. Jones
- Music Supervision/Orchestrations/Vocal Arrangements by Daryl Waters (Shuffle Along)

Starring Brandon Victor Dixon, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter,Jennifer Damiano, Tamika Lawrence, Theo Stockman, Tracy Shayne, and Walter Bobbie


From the NYT:Based on George S. Schuyler’s 1931 novel of the same name.Schuyler’s satirical story, a piece of the Harlem Renaissance canon, follows the development of Black-No-More, a scientific procedure for turning Black skin white, created by one Dr. Junius Crookman. (Trotter, in a theatrical debut, will also play Crookman in the show.)The protagonist, Max Disher (Brandon Victor Dixon), decides to undergo the procedure after being spurned by a white woman for being Black. In the meantime, Black-No-More gains popularity nationwide. The more Black people make the transition, the more obvious the economic importance of racial segregation becomes."

It'a a great novel, and a really interesting choice for adaptation. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/6/21 at 6:18pm

BVD needs a big Broadway role! He did a year in Hamilton after Shuffle Along and has done other non-Broadway performing, but it's been a while!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 2:08pm

Ephraim Sykes and Lillias White have joined this already-stacked cast!

Perhaps this is why Sykes left MJ? (That, plus the controversy...)

[kwoc91]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 2:25pm

Tamika Lawrence is so, so good in the current CAROLINE, OR CHANGE production. I imagine she'll have to leave the show before it closes on 1/9 if BLACK NO MORE has its first preview on 1/11?

Looking forward to this. Sounds interesting.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 2:35pm

Yes safe to assume that about Tamika Lawrence. The main question is when she will leave –– there's a world in which she just misses some CAROLINE matinees until tech starts, or New Group works around her schedule for the first weeks of rehearsal. Depends on how much cooperation is able to happen between New Group, Roundabout, and her agents.

BLACK NO MORE's audition notice lists the following dates:

1st Rehearsal: November 22, 2021
Tech: December 27, 2021
1st Preview: January 11, 2022

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 2:39pm

Sutton Ross said: "Ugh, anything Brandon Victor Dixon is in I see because that man is a beautiful talent."

Agreeeeee!"

YESSSSSSSSSS!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 3:33pm

Holy crap, this just keeps getting more stacked. This is going to be a frickin’ EVENT.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/3/21 at 4:28pm

The cast is stellar. The New Group's track record with new musicals + the lack of theatre experience from the authors gives me pause, but at the very least will be worth seeing off-Bway in case it doesn't move.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/17/21 at 1:18pm

The rest of the cast:

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, Katie Thompson, Akron Watson, Nyla Watson, Edward Watts

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/18/21 at 3:07pm

FYI, the code on the New Group’s website to unlock the cheaper tickets (rows N & O and box seats) is TNGSEATS. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/18/21 at 3:27pm

Do we know if the $38 TNGSEATS are obstructed view? Those seats are marked with a star instead of a circle.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/18/21 at 3:41pm

I think the star just refers to the use of the code. I called to ask about the box seats vs. row N, and the agent said nothing about obstruction for rows N and O, but he did say, depending on the final set design, that the box seat views could be less than ideal. He recommended row N without hesitation.

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 11/18/21 at 3:49pm

Thank you so much for sharing that code! I got my tickets for February.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/19/21 at 3:52pm

Per Philip Boroff:

Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton, In the Heights, Rent, Avenue Q) is the commercial producer behind BLACK NO MORE and is raising between 1.8M and 3M to enhance the off-Broadway production. "Prospective investors have been told it’s fully subscribed," which is a great place to be in for a pre-Broadway engagement, even considering Seller's pedigree.

So this thing is basically destined for Broadway unless it's a giant flop at the New Group.

Updated On: 11/19/21 at 03:52 PM

[HBBrock]

Posted: 11/22/21 at 3:09pm

EXCELLENT Cyber Sale deal for this on TodayTix app right now.....$30 (front row!) and $40 (second row).

[gibsons2]

Posted: 12/15/21 at 7:36pm

I found the NPR Tiny desk concert with a song "Yellow" from the upcoming off-Broadway musical Black No More, performed by Black Thought. The song is at around 7:50, with the intro at 5:09.

https://youtu.be/u12r_JI8mGM

Updated On: 12/15/21 at 07:36 PM

[fyeahmaria]

Posted: 12/22/21 at 4:47am

TaffyDavenport said: "FYI, the code on the New Group’s website to unlock the cheaper tickets (rows N & O and box seats) is TNGSEATS."

I just noticed this code has front row seats for $38 on 01/21, for "Black Theatre Night". Anyone know what will be special about that night? Is it mostly geared towards black theatre goers, or will it be something special as a celebration of black theatre or something? I don't mind it either way, but I'm white and wouldn't wanna take up a ticket if it's "not for me" or something.

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 1/4/22 at 12:25pm

We're a week away from First Preview - has anyone heard any rumblings on whether this may be pushed back?