By Apollo Theater
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
As part of its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend of programs to call the community to action in the current political climate, The Apollo presents a free staged reading of the six-time Tony Award-nominated play Ain’t No Mo’ performed by the original Broadway cast on Monday, January 20 at the new Apollo Stages at The Victoria Theater.
Written by Obie Award-winning playwright Jordan E. Cooper, Ain’t No Mo’ is a satirical comedy that imagines an alternate world where the US government offers African Americans a free one-way ticket to Africa as a solution to America’s systemic racism. Ain’t No Mo’ was nominated for six Tony Awards and two Drama Desk Awards. The production’s celebrated small ensemble uses dark humor and swift role-switching to showcase how Black Americans have leaned on their community as a resource for resilience against oppression and in navigating their racial identity.
“Ain’t No Mo’s use of dark humor to showcase the complexities of the African American experience while highlighting the enduring fight for racial justice mirrors The Apollo’s mission to celebrate Black culture and push forward critical conversations about race in the US. We hope this special weekend of events will help gather our community and encourage action and activism in this political climate,” said Apollo Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes.
This program follows The Apollo and WNYC’s annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 19, which includes a discussion with community leaders and activists and artists on his legacy and current critical societal issues. This year’s MLK program will gather prominent public intellectuals, community and faith leaders, authors and artists to discuss democracy and civil rights under the incoming presidential administration. Subsequently on January 20, The Apollo will host its annual MLK education event curated by Apollo Apprentices, in which youth leaders will discuss how environmental and food injustice impacts our lives and communities.
Space is limited, RSVP https://www.apollotheater.org/event/aint-no-mo.
This is a free event with a ticket required. Free tickets are also available at the Apollo Theater box office. You must show your e-ticket at check-in. Seating is by general admission and registration does not guarantee space. Doors open at 6:30PM. Tickets not scanned or picked up from the box office by 7PM on the day of the event will be released to patrons in the standby line.
About The Apollo
The legendary Apollo—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, The Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world. In 2024, The Apollo opened The Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater, marking the first ever expansion and renovation of The Apollo in its 90-year history.
With music at its core, The Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes the world premiere of the theatrical adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved; special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo; 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella; and the annual Africa Now! Festival. The non-profit Apollo is a performing arts presenter, commissioner, and collaborator that also produces festivals, large-scale dance and musical works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend The Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens, including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival as well as other multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, The Apollo has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at The Apollo are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R. D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Jazmine Sullivan, Machine Gun Kelly, and Miri Ben Ari; and The Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy. For more information about The Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.
