Black Theatre Troupe Brings the Soul of “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” to the Stage

Black Theatre Troupe Brings the Soul of “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” to the Stage

Director and choreographer Patdro Harris returns to the musical that inspired his career, opening Oct. 23 in Phoenix.

For Patdro Harris, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope is the musical that helped him find his calling.

“It is the show that made me decide to be an artist,” said Harris, who directs and choreographs his 5th Black Theatre Troupe production, opening Oct. 23 at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center in Phoenix.

Harris’s career spans Broadway, concert stages and regional theater. He choreographed the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Kenny Leon and featuring Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad, and toured internationally as choreographer and lead dancer for Stevie Wonder.

Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope is a musical revue celebrating Black life through song, dance and storytelling. Created by Micki Grant,conceived and originally directed by Vinnette Carroll, the show explores love and relationships, Black pride, feminism and social change. Its blend of gospel, jazz, soul, funk, rock and calypso brings together spirited ensemble numbers, humor and moments of reflection.

Harris first performed the musical in college, when a career in the arts was still something he was considering. The experience helped turn that uncertainty into a direction. It became his last college show and his first as a professional.

Years later, that connection came full circle. In the early 2000s, Harris worked with Grant on a workshop production in Brooklyn. It was an opportunity to work alongside the pioneering Black playwright, composer and performer whose musical had helped inspire his career.

For Harris, Grant’s legacy extends beyond the stage. Her work continues to create opportunities for theater artists decades after she wrote it.

“I get a chance to have a career because she did this piece,” he said.

That history informs his approach to the production. Although rooted in the early 1970s, the musical explores experiences audiences in 2026 will recognize. Harris wishes some of its struggles could be viewed strictly as history. Instead, their continuing presence gives him reason to revisit the work.

The revue tells its stories through individual songs and vignettes rather than following one character through a single plot.

“Each vignette, each song has a particular story,” Harris said.

He compares that structure to daily life. One day brings happiness, another sadness. Some invite reflection; others call for singing the blues and letting something go. Each has its own beginning, middle and end, yet all belong to the same life.

For Harris, those connections begin with recognizing shared human needs while acknowledging the different experiences that shape people’s lives.

“Is it different for people of color? Absolutely. That should be recognized,” he said.

He speaks about parents wanting their children to be safe and return home without harm. Those hopes cross racial boundaries, even when the circumstances families face are different.

His pride in Black identity is central to that perspective.

“Yes, I am a proud Black man. I love that,” Harris said. “Black is not exclusive. It’s inclusive.”

Music invites audiences into those stories, offering emotional release and reasons to celebrate.

“I believe there are some places in the soul that only music can touch,” he said.

The choreography carries its own history. Harris draws from African dance traditions through hip-hop and second-line dancing, incorporating the Charleston, cakewalk, church shout and ring shout.

The movement shifts between tenderness and power, challenging the cast physically and expressively. Together, the songs and dances make space for joy and difficult truths. Harris believes acknowledging what hurts is necessary before anyone can address it.

One moment that particularly moves him features Eboni McDonald singing about the many feelings that make a person human. For Harris, it captures the invitation to recognize another person’s humanity.

That message sits alongside the joy he wants audiences to experience.

“The music is going to stir your soul in a way that you’re going to really, really, really enjoy,” Harris said.

Black Theatre Troupe presents Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope Oct. 23 through Nov. 8, 2026, at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 E. Washington St., Phoenix. Tickets are $50. For performance times and tickets, visit blacktheatretroupe.org.