By Tavon N. Thomasson Particular to the AFROtthomasson@afro.com
The Morgan State College theater division reworked the Carl J. Murphy Fantastic Arts Heart on Oct. 28 into an area stuffed with laughter and reflection as college students stepped right into a story that refused to play it secure.
Credit score: AFRO Pictures/ Tavon Thomasson
The second the purple curtain opened, the viewers was tossed straight into the hilarious and painfully trustworthy world of “Ain’t No Mo’,” the 2019 play written by Jordan E. Cooper. Underneath the route of Mari Andrea Travis, Morgan’s rendition stayed true to the play’s goal, utilizing humor to say the issues folks had been afraid to say out loud. The play pushed viewers to confront race, id and what it meant to be Black in America.
The story performed out in an alternate universe the place the U.S. authorities supplied Black Individuals one-way airplane tickets to Africa. All through the present, every scene launched a brand new set of characters coping with that selection below totally completely different circumstances—from a pregnant lady haunted by her boyfriend’s ghost to a satirical “Actual Housewives” reunion.
By the point the lights got here up, viewers members and crew walked out with their private takeaways.
“The play passes on a message that there’s freedom someplace that we are able to at all times go and get it if we wish to,” mentioned viewers member Divine Chiangeh. “Typically after we get into experiences the place our freedom is hijacked, we sort of really feel like we don’t have a selection, however we really do.”
For costume designer Yasmeen Mahdi, the play’s message centered on the distinctiveness of the Black expertise and the way it can look completely different for everybody.
“The Black expertise is totally completely different for everyone who’s strolling it,” mentioned costume designer Yasmeen Mahdi. “All people lives a special life, however all of us perceive the identical struggles. The most important takeaway is simply to be open about what different folks undergo.”
Regardless of the heavy themes, many left the theater with rave opinions.
“This one was a ten out of 10,” Reginald Allen mentioned. “It caught me off guard by how a lot comedy and what number of deep factors and subjects had been inside this present. Actually, as quickly as I walked in, I used to be hit with a left hook and so they didn’t let up in any respect.”
Although this run has concluded, Theatre Morgan will proceed its fall lineup with “Cruise Management: Black Pleasure in Turbulent Waters,” set for Nov. 7–8. The division can even stage “Williams and Walker” in Spring 2026, operating April 24–26 of subsequent 12 months.
