‘Ain’t No Mo’ & ‘A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical’ – Broadway Reviews
First, the good news: Ain’t No Mo’, the audacious Broadway debut of writer-performer Jordan E. Cooper powerfully directed by Broadway newcomer Stevie Walker-Webb, is a marvel, compelling even when its considerable reach exceeds its grasp, a mix of sketch comedy, satire, social commentary, drama and tour de force performances that places Ain’t No Mo’ are the forefront of the outlandish, take-no-prisoners style of Black theater pioneered by The Colored Museum and more recently joined by Slave Play and A Strange Loop.
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‘A Beautiful Noise’ Serves Cheap Thrills but No Drama
Using therapy as the framing for a musical play is a theatrical cheat. In such instances, rather than develop nuanced motivations or put effort into finessing a resolution, playwrights telegraph that their characters are working through trauma and are to be forgiven for anything they do or say―no matter how boring or formulaic. And so […]
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If the Refreshing ‘KPOP’ is the Future of Broadway, Consider Me a Stan
Against all expectations for a behind-the-scenes musical drama, KPOP’s storytelling is as sophisticated as its high-octane performances. Though the newly-opened Broadway musical at Circle in the Square Theater was a hit during its pre-pandemic run at Ars Nova, I was prepared to hate-watch it. Why? Because I wince whenever I hear the cheesy bops of […]
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