Tyler Perry and other stars buy out performances of "Ain't No Mo" to try and save the Broadway show

Hollywood stars have chipped in to help a new Broadway show that was set to close due to low ticket sales. Celebrities like Tyler Perry and Shonda Rhimes bought out full performances of "Ain't No Mo" this week in an effort to extend the show's run. The plan worked — on Thursday, playwright Jordan E. Cooper announced "Ain't No Mo" was extended through December 23.

Cooper, who also stars in the show, said earlier this week that he received an eviction notice telling him the play had to close on December 18. He said while the show was acclaimed by critics, it was hard to sell tickets and "traditional Broadway marketing doesn't work for this kind of show."

"Ain't No Mo" premiered at The Public Theater on November 9 and then moved to the Belasco Theater, which holds about 1,000 audience members. The play's website says the 90-minute play "dares to ask the incendiary question, 'What if the U.S. government offered Black Americans one-way plane tickets to Africa?'" and "will leave you crying with laughter — and thinking through the tears."