“Black No More” To Begin Previews January 18,

 “Black No More”    

To Begin Previews January 18,  

In Advance of Opening Night Now Set for Tuesday, February 15 

 

with Howard McGillin and Gaelen Gilliland  

Joining the Cast of 

 

“Black No More” 

 

A New Musical  

with 

 Book by  

John Ridley   

 

Lyrics by 

Tariq Trotter 

 

Music by 

Tariq Trotter, Anthony Tidd, James Poyser, and Daryl Waters 

  

Music Supervision, Orchestrations  

and Vocal Arrangements by   

Daryl Waters 

 

Choreography by  

Bill T. Jones 

   

Directed by  

Scott Elliott   

 

World Premiere Production from 

THE NEW GROUP 

at The Pershing Square Signature Center

(The Irene Diamond Stage, 480 West 42nd Street)

The New Group has announced that the new musical Black No More will begin previews January 18, in advance of an Official Opening Night now set for Tuesday, February 15, a schedule update due to Covid-19.  Previews were previously slated to begin on January 11.  Additionally, the company has announced that Howard McGillin (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Anything Goes) and Gaelen Gilliland (Legally Blonde, Spongebob Squarepants) have joined the cast in the roles for which Walter Bobbie and Katie Thompson, who had to withdraw from the production, were previously announced. 

 

The complete cast features Leanne Antonio, Rhaamell Burke-Missouri, Elijah A. Carter, Jennifer Damiano, Brandon Victor Dixon, Ryan Fitzgerald, Gaelen Gilliland, Polanco Jones Jr., Zachary Daniel Jones, Tamika Lawrence, Sarah Meahl, Howard McGillan, Mary Page Nance, Oneika Phillips, Nicholas Ranauro, Malaiyka Reid, Mars Rucker, Angela M. Sauers, Tracy Shayne, Theo Stockman, Ephraim Sykes, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Akron Watson, Nyla Watson, Edward Watts, and Lillias White.   

 

Black No More, a new musical inspired by George S. Schuyler’s Afrofuturist novel set during the Harlem Renaissance, is the story of Max Disher (Brandon Victor Dixon), who’s eager to try the mysterious machine invented by Dr. Junius Crookman (Tariq Trotter) that guarantees to “solve the American race problem" —by turning Black people white.  With Book by Academy Award winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave); Lyrics by two-time Grammy Award winner Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter (The Roots); Music by Tariq Trotter, Anthony Tidd, James Poyser, and Tony Award-winner Daryl Waters (Memphis); Choreography by two-time Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening and Fela!), and directed by The New Group's founding Artistic Director Scott Elliott, Black No More is one Black man's journey colliding with truths of race and identity.   

 

A strictly limited engagement will play through February 27, 2022, at The Pershing Square Signature Center (The Irene Diamond Stage, 480 West 42nd Street) with Opening Night on Tuesday, February 15. The complete performance schedule and tickets are available at thenewgroup.org.   

 

​​Originally announced and slated for fall 2020, Black No More, inspired by George S. Schuyler’s 1931 novel of the same name, arrives in January 2022 in this world premiere production from The New Group. 

  

Black No More features Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Vocal Arrangements by Daryl Waters, Music Direction and Dance Arrangements by Zane Mark; Scenic Design by Derek McLane; Costume Design by Qween Jean; Lighting Design by Jeff Croiter; Sound Design by Nevin Steinberg; Wig and Hair Design by Nikiya Mathis; and Casting by The Telsey Office / Rebecca Scholl, CSA & Kristian Charbonier, CSA.  Associate Director is Monet. The associate Choreographer is Antonio Brown.  Production Stage Manager is Valerie A. Peterson, and Assistant Stage Managers are Emily Fischer and Nicole Iovino.

  

  

Black No More is supported in part by the Map Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

  

The New Group's productions are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.  

  

The New Group's productions are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. 

  

The New Group (Scott Elliott, Founding Artistic Director; Adam Bernstein, Executive Director) is an award-winning, artist-driven company with a commitment to developing and producing powerful, contemporary theatre. The company was most recently represented by Wallace Shawn’s The Fever, directed by Scott Elliott and starring Lili Taylor, in a co-production with Audible at the Minetta Lane Theater. www.thenewgroup.org 

  

The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature’s three distinct playwrights  residencies and foster a cultural community.  The Center is a major contribution to New York City’s cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourage collaboration among artists throughout the space.  In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and the Signature Café + Bar. For more information on renting the Center, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals.