The New Group stages the world premiere of the new musical Black No More, directed by Scott Elliott, in 2022. Performances take place on The Irene Diamond Stage within the Pershing Square Signature Center. Get Black No More tickets now.
Black No More is a musical based on George S. Schuyler's satirical 1931 novel of the same name, in which he criticized both the Black and the white communities of the time for their handling of race as a commodity and an obsession that determines people's worth. His novel is also considered the first work of Afrofuturism as it is now defined, as Schuyler prominently explores how technology can shape the futures of Black people. In the novel, a young Black man gets wind of a new machine invented by Dr. Junius Crookman that turns Black people white, purporting to "solve the American race problem."
Having just been rejected by a white woman for his race, Disher eagerly goes to use the machine and adopts a new white identity as Matthew Fisher. He himself finds romantic success and even infiltrates a white supremacist organization, but the machine does not meet its goal. As more and more people turn white and the organization has less people to target, its members embark on a hateful quest to discover everyone's true ancestry, even those who appear to be "one of them."
Brandon Victor Dixon stars as Max Disher, with Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter as Dr. Junius Crookman. Trotter, best known as the co-founder and lead MC of The Roots, also wrote the show's music and lyrics. Black No More also features a book by 12 Years A Slave screenwriter John Ridley and choreography by award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones. Scott Elliott, founding artistic director of The New Group, directs.
Get tickets to Black No More off Broadway on New York Theatre Guide today.
