"Ain't No Mo," satirical play tackling idea of "solving" racism comes to Boston's South End
BOSTON - A Tony-nominated play that tackles the idea of "solving" racism with comedy is now playing in Boston's South End.
"A love letter to Black people"
What would happen if the U.S. government offered every Black person in America a one-way ticket to Africa? "Ain't No Mo" tackles that question head on.
The piece, co-produced by SpeakEasy Stage and The Front Porch Arts Collective, examines the idea of solving racism, by giving Black Americans a new life somewhere else.
"It's two shows in one. There are these vignettes that were kind of like a sketch comedy show, but then there's this solo show of Peaches, but everything is intertwined," director Dawn M. Simmons said.
Peaches, portrayed by Grant Evan, is a drag queen and gate agent for the last flight of African American Airlines, on the last day Black Americans are leaving the country.
"Ain't No Mo is a love letter to Black people," Evan said.
Story told with satire
But it's one that asks big questions.
"Each vignette asks the audience to think. It doesn't solve a problem for them, or it solves it in a way where you're like, is that how we should go about that?" Simmons said.
Evan had strong reactions to the play when they first saw it on Broadway.
"I hated it. I was angry. I left that theater and could not believe that (playwright) Jordan Cooper had put those conversations on stage and exposed us and left us so raw and honest in a way that I would not have necessarily wanted to be in a mixed company atmosphere," Evan said. "After I had kind of wrestled my own upset and my own shock at seeing the conversations, it's a beautifully woven story."
Simmons said satire is the perfect method to tell this story.
"It is a way for us to deal with and examine hard truths, and it gives you that little bit of that spoonful of sugar, while also showing you sort of the dark of things," Simmons said.
"It's meant to provoke you to laugh," Evan said. "But when you open yourself up to laughter, you're also leaving yourself vulnerable to tears. And that's the thing that I think that this play really balances beautifully and really catches a hold of with the audience."
Ain't No Mo at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End runs through Feb. 8.
