Crystal Lucas-Perry (‘Ain’t No Mo’ and ‘1776’) on exploring ‘what it meant to be Black in America, Black in the world’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
When the pandemic shifted production schedules of two long-gestating projects, Crystal Lucas-Perry found herself performing in two powerful works back-to-back in her debut season on Broadway. She first stepped on stage in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of “1776,” playing founding father John Adams in a cast composed entirely of women, trans and nonbinary actors. Then she hopped over to the Broadway transfer of “Ain’t No Mo’” by Jordan E. Cooper. She describes that play as “a marathon sprint” as she cycled between six characters during the 90-minute running time. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
In one of her most talked about moments of “Ain’t No Mo’,” Lucas-Perry bursts through the basement door of a well-to-do home as a character simply referred to as Black. She is the embodiment of the people and ideas throughout history which make up the Black experience in America. When the character is met with resistance, she hurls herself into a joyous frenzy, riffling through a monologue where she becomes the countless figures from Black history. “It’s a lot of failing and falling and flying,” admits Lucas-Perry when asked how she made the moment sing. “Fortunately I was in a room where play was paramount. That’s all I hope every space is because that’s where we get to find out the things that work and dont work.”
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From the moment she first read the monologue, she knew it was an incredible performance opportunity. ”I wanted to try to bring as much of what it meant to be Black in America, Black in the world, and throw it into a monologue,” she explains, “It’s got to be physical. It’s got to be surprising.” The performer latched on to the idea that this being was locked away in the basement for years, rejected when she finally emerged, yet still held on to an openness in her heart and a joy for her true self. “To truly embrace and find joy in the struggle and the pain and the beauty of what it is to be Black, that is I feel at the core of what Black is,” states Lucas-Perry.
She also explored Black identity in America during “1776,” where she notes that casting a Black woman as Adams constantly reframed the text of the musical. For her and for the audience. “When you put bodies that are not supposed to be in a space and you put them in that space, something not only can happen but will happen,” she describes. Each performer in the piece purposefully brought themselves into their roles, from costume accessories to character traits, in order to truly include folks who had previously been excluded from this part of history. ”It was us. That was Crystal on that stage,” she explains. ”We may all be Americans, but everybody has a very different reality of what it means to be American for them.”
At one point, the founding fathers argued over whether the Declaration of Independence should include the abolishment of slavery. Lucas-Perry remembers feeling a “guttural” reaction each night when the motion is deemed too contentious and abandoned. ”There’s never a moment where Crystal doesn’t feel that,” says the actress, describing the massive shift in the text by having that conversation directed towards a Black woman. She confesses that she never needed any motivation to relate to that moment.
Challenging pieces of theatre can prove to be a difficult sell in the commercial Broadway landscape, and sadly “Ain’t No Mo’” had its run cut short. But a closing notice didn’t stop Lucas-Perry and her castmates from launching a “save the show” campaign. Against all odds, the effort worked. Celebrities bought out performances, social media was flooded with support, and ticket buyers rushed to the box office, which kept the show afloat for an extra week. That exciting time helped the actress understand the stakes and importance of fighting for something you believe in. “I’ve never felt so in the right place at the right time, then I was on that stage,” she gushes. “The amount of pride that we felt, and the understanding that just because a show like this has never been on Broadway doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deserve to be there.”
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