Jordan E. Cooper is no stranger to challenging conventions. At 27, he became the youngest Black American playwright in Broadway history with Ain’t No Mo’. Now, at 30, he’s back with Oh Happy Day!, a soul-stirring, gospel-infused play that reimagines the story of Noah’s Ark through a modern, Black, and deeply personal lens.
The production, written, directed, and headlined by Cooper, opened at The Public Theater this October and has already been extended through November 9 due to popular demand.
When asked what inspired Oh Happy Day!, Cooper shared in our exclusive interview that the story grew from his own experience “growing up Black and queer in the South and in the church.”
He recalled being told, “You’re going to hell or God hates you,” and wanting to explore what it would mean if “the person who’s always been shunned by the church is actually the one in direct connection with God.”
The play centers on Keyshawn, played by Cooper, a man cast out by his family for being gay, who returns home when God tells him to save his estranged relatives from an impending flood. It’s a metaphorical and spiritual reckoning with forgiveness, faith, and generational trauma.
“It’s taken me seven years to write this play,” Cooper said. “I felt like I had to mature into what the play was trying to say. I never really write plays to teach people anything; it’s because there’s something I have to work through within myself. Happiness was the thing I needed to learn was a choice.”
That sense of choice, he explained, applies not just to joy but to grace. “You can only expect as much grace as you give…There’s not really a villain in any story; everybody has their own pain and their own cycle they’re trying to break out of.”
Collaborating with Grammy Award–winning gospel legend Donald Lawrence, Cooper ensured the music carried the emotional weight that words alone couldn’t.
“Sometimes there are things that only music can carry that text can’t,” he said. “Donald would take a scene, break it down, and come back with the most perfect song. These songs sound like they’ve existed for 30 years; they’re just so beautiful.”
The result is a play that feels both theatrical and spiritual, with gospel numbers performed by powerhouse vocalists like Tamika Lawrence, Shalaya, and Latrice Pace.
Still, at its core, Oh Happy Day! is about humanity, about recognizing the divine in each other.
“God is not just some being in the sky,” Cooper reflected. “God is in the human being that you interact with on a daily basis. The minute you start to recognize God in other people, that’s when you really start to have a true connection with the divine.”
Returning to The Public Theater for this run feels like a full-circle moment for the playwright.
“The last time I did a show here, I was in college,” he said. “Now I’m 30, and it feels like I’m coming to this as a man. I know who I am, what I want, and I’m not people-pleasing anymore. I’m grateful for that.”
As for what he hopes audiences take away, Cooper said it best:
“I hope they realize they still have time. Happiness isn’t a fair-weather friend; it’s a choice. Even when you’re not OK, knowing that you’re not OK gives you power. Because that means you’re still in control.”
Oh Happy Day! runs at The Public Theater in New York through November 9.
Check out the full interview.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
