'Oh Happy Day!' Off-Broadway review — a modern-day, musical Noah’s Ark tale
Read our review of Oh Happy Day! off Broadway, a new play with music written by and starring Jordan E. Cooper, with original songs by Donald Lawrence.
Summary
- Oh Happy Day! is a play with music that sets the biblical story of Noah's Ark among a modern-day Black family in Mississippi
- The show stars its playwright Jordan E. Cooper and has original gospel songs by Donald Lawrence
- Audiences have called the show funny and emotional
- The show is recommended for fans of religious satire and other family dramas like Fat Ham and Chicken & Biscuits
On the night I saw Oh Happy Day!, a modern reimagining of the biblical Noah’s Ark story, New York City was under threat of real-life flooding thanks to a nor’easter. But the heavy rains and the possibility of exiting the theatre into flooded subway stations did not deter audiences. In fact, it made main character Keyshawn’s frantic warnings of the impending flooding of his hometown — drought-stricken Laurel, Mississippi — all the more pressing.
After a lifetime of feeling abandoned by his family’s God, Keyshawn has come back home on a divine mission: to build a boat and convince his family to board it before the rain begins. Playwright and star Jordan E. Cooper drips with raw emotion as the main character, whose daunting task contextualizes just how crazy those Old Testament prophets must have seemed in their time.
There’s a catch, though: Keyshawn was murdered earlier that morning, and the only way he can go to a “Happy” place in the afterlife is to complete his mission. But there is so much in the way of him even being welcomed into his family’s home, let alone doing the rest of the job. Keyshawn’s anger and sorrow are constantly simmering as he argues with his father Lewis (Brian D. Coats), his sister Niecy (a celestial Tamika Lawrence), and God, who inhabits the bodies of the Johnson family members to keep Keyshawn on task.
God gets some help from the Divines (Tiffany Mann, Sheléa Melody McDonald, and Latrice Pace), a trio of ancient spirits who guide the recently deceased with the flourish of a fabulous gospel group. But as beloved as they were by my audience, they are underutilized by the script. Their original songs (by Donald Lawrence) brought the house down, particularly “Will He Find It?”, a number led by God in Niecy’s body. But these also felt few and far between.
Under the direction of Stevie Walker-Webb, Oh Happy Day! covers a lot of ground, but its main theme is the age-old question: What is the role of God in the face of unimaginable suffering? To that, Oh Happy Day! says to "lean not on your own understanding,” before God drops an excellent metaphor about spilled milk and carpet cleaner.
Oh Happy Day! summary
Keyshawn Johnson is dead. But before he can move on from this mortal plane, God gives him one final task: build a boat and convince his estranged family to board it before a biblical flood comes. Keyshawn sets about this impossible task reluctantly, and all the while he wrestles with his past, his strained relationships with his father and sister, and his own resentment of the God he believes has failed him for his entire life (and death). He is encouraged along by the Divines, ancient spirits and envoys of God with pipes for days.
What to expect at Oh Happy Day!
Contrary to the title, Oh Happy Day! is packed with dark themes like murder, sexual abuse, homophobia, and allusions to drug use. There is quite literally a light at the end of the tunnel, however, which Keyshawn eventually reaches with the help of the Divines. “Sometimes, real liberation ain’t nothing but a bridge paved with confrontation,” says Cooper in the playwright’s note in the program.
The Johnson home, designed by Luciana Stecconi, feels both homey and divinely versatile, switching from a humble homestead to a celestial playground for God and the Divines in a matter of seconds.
The Divines don’t just serve as guides for Keyshawn, but for the audience as well. They enter the auditorium via the aisles and regularly address the audience, one that neither Keyshawn nor even God can perceive. In the script, Cooper describes them as “The Clark Sisters meet Glinda The Good” - especially apt since songwriter Donald Lawrence also wrote gospel songs for the Clark Sisters.
What audiences are saying about Oh Happy Day!
At the time of publication, Oh Happy Day! has an 83% audience approval rating on Show-Score. Theatergoers have praised the talent of the actors, the stunning vocals of the three Divines, and the unique plot structure.
- “What a fun and rich black gospel comedy!” - Show-Score user Opa Dale
- “It should be workshopped with 50% more singing and 50% less talking.” - Show-Score user Mr. Theatre
- “Raw, heartbreaking, honest, smart, funny.” - Show-Score user Sing out Louise
Read more audience reviews of Oh Happy Day! on Show-Score.
Who should see Oh Happy Day!
- Fans of Jordan E. Cooper’s past work, such as the Tony-nominated and Obie-winning Ain’t No Mo’, will appreciate seeing Cooper starring in another sharp play of his own creation.
- Theatregoers who appreciate religious themes with a thick dollop of satire will be moved by the message of Oh Happy Day!, as well as the emotional ending.
- Fans of past Broadway shows like Fat Ham and Chicken & Biscuits will appreciate the themes of Oh Happy Day!, which also deals with confrontation and reconciliation among a Black family.
Learn more about Oh Happy Day! off Broadway
Deeply personal and particularly relevant, Oh Happy Day! interrogates the meaning of God and the responsibility of the church in this modern take on Noah’s Ark.
Photo credit: Oh Happy Day! off Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)
Originally published on