The New Group to premiere 'Black No More' off Broadway

The world-premiere musical will begin performances January 11, 2022 at the Pershing Square Signature Center.

UPDATE: Tony Award winner Lillias White has joined the cast of Black No More. She is currently playing Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago on Broadway.

A new musical adaptation of Black No More, based on Afrofuturist author George S. Schuyler's 1931 satirical novel of the same name, will have its world premiere in 2022 at the Pershing Square Signature Center courtesy of The New Group. Performances begin January 11 ahead of a February 8 opening night, and the show will play a limited engagement through February 27.

Black No More was originally scheduled to premiere in 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. The musical, set in the Harlem Renaissance, centers around Max Fisher, who learns of a machine that purports to "solve the American race problem." The machine, invented by the African American scientist Dr. Junius Crookman, turns Black people white. Fisher is eager to try it, and so are many others who have internalized racism or want the increased opportunities afforded to white people. Fisher and those around him confront truths of race and identity in doing so, namely how economic and class systems rested on racial segregation.

Brandon Victor Dixon stars as Max Fisher, with Grammy Award-winning musician Tariq Trotter of the band The Roots as Crookman. The cast also includes Jennifer Damiano, Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, Theo Stockman, Tamika Lawrence, and Tracy Shayne.

The show features music and lyrics by Trotter, a book by John Ridley and choreography by Bill T. Jones, and music supervision, orchestrations, and vocal arrangements by Daryl Waters. The creative team also includes music director and dance arranger Zane Mark, scenic designer Derek McLane, costume designer Qween Jean, lighting designer Jeff Croiter, and sound designer Nevin Steinberg. The New Group's founding artistic director Scott Elliott directs.

Black No More tickets will be available on New York Theatre Guide soon.