I think with both shows, a Broadway production was always a risky prospect. In the case of "Ain't No Mo'", the material is edgy and incendiary, while the form is challenging - very few sketch plays have been successful on Broadway, and I don't know if there have been any that were about Black people. I've been a huge champion of this play ever since an early industry showing at NYTW, and while I was excited that they wanted to go to Broadway, I also felt it was not likely to succeed.
If they were going to have a shot, it probably would have required re-casting Cooper. I didn't think he was terribly strong at The Public, and his role is the move obvious one to bring in a name of some sort, whether an actor like Wayne Brady or Billy Porter, or an actual drag queen like Shangela or Bob. Again, someone like that might not have been enough to make it run, but it surely would have helped them start with higher ticket sales than they did. |
