Jelly's Last Jam
| Jelly's Last Jam | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway Promotional Poster | |
| Music | Jelly Roll Morton Luther Henderson |
| Lyrics | Susan Birkenhead |
| Book | George C. Wolfe |
| Basis | The life of Jelly Roll Morton |
| Productions | 1991 Los Angeles 1992 Broadway 2024 Encores! |
| Awards | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics |
Jelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson. Based on the life and career of Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known as Jelly Roll Morton and generally regarded as one of the primary driving forces behind the introduction of jazz to the American public in the early 20th century, it also serves as a social commentary on the African-American experience during the era. LaMothe was born into a Louisiana Creole family that was established and free before the Civil War.
Plot
[edit]The musical opens with the recently deceased Morton in a state of limbo, looking back on his life. He is reluctantly guided by the mysterious 'Chimney Man,' who forces him to recall the more painful moments of his life when he attempts to ignore or embellish them. Born into an old and wealthy mixed-race Creole family in New Orleans, the young Morton rebels against his upbringing by going into the streets and absorbing the rhythms of the vendors and poor blacks, meeting blues musician Buddy Bolden. When his Creole grandmother discovers his new lifestyle, she disowns him.
Forced to go on the road, Morton becomes a prominent composer and musician, and the self-proclaimed creator of jazz. His sadness over his family's rejection causes him to stress his Creole ancestry and claim that there are 'no black notes in my song.' Eventually his pride and racism cause him to betray his best friend and the woman he loves. In his later years, as the Jazz culture continues to grow, Morton is largely forgotten and reduced to dealing with crooked music publishers and gangsters, eventually dying of a knife wound in the colored wing of a Los Angeles hospital. At the moment of his death, Morton at last admits to his heritage - "Ain't no black notes in my song/I was wrong/ I was wrong." At this moment, the shadows of the people in his life surround him to congratulate him, and Morton takes his place in history among the other Jazz legends.
Production history
[edit]Los Angeles (1991)
[edit]Jelly's Last Jam premiered at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, California, in March 1991. Directed by Wolfe, Obba Babatunde played Jelly Roll.[1]
Broadway (1992-1993)
[edit]The Broadway production opened at the Virginia Theatre on April 26, 1992, and closed on September 5, 1993, after 569 performances and 25 previews. The musical was directed by Wolfe, choreographed by Hope Clarke, with tap choreography by Gregory Hines and Ted L. Levy, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, and lighting design by Jules Fisher.[2]
In addition to Gregory Hines and Savion Glover as the older and younger Morton, the cast included Keith David as the Chimney Man, Tonya Pinkins as Anita, Ann Duquesnay as Gran Mimi, Stanley Wayne Mathis as Jack the Bear, Mary Bond Davis as Miss Maime and Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Buddy Bolden. Stephanie Pope, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs and Allison M. Williams appeared as the musical trio the Honies, with Ken Ard, and Brenda Braxton appearing in the show's ensemble.[2] later in the show's run, Phylicia Rashad, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Ben Vereen joined the cast, replacing Pinkins, Hines and David respectively.
An original cast recording was released by Decca Broadway.
New York City Center Revival (2024)
[edit]The musical was mounted by New York City Center Encores! on February 21, and ran through March 3, 2024.[3] The production was directed by Robert O'Hara with choreography by Edgar Godineaux and tap choreography by Dormeshia. Nicholas Christopher starred as Jelly opposite Billy Porter as the Chimney Man, Joaquina Kalukango as Anita and Leslie Uggams as Gran Mimi. Pope, Duncan-Gibbs and Williams reprised their roles as the Hunnies from the original Broadway production.[4] Okieriete Onaodowan and Alaman Diadhiou also starred as Buddy Bolden and Young Jelly.[5]
Song list
[edit]All songs are written by Jelly Roll Morton with additional music by Luther Henderson and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, unless indicated.[6]
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|
Cast and characters
[edit]| Characters | Los Angeles[10] | Broadway[11] | Encores![12] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1992 | 2024 | |
| Jelly Roll Morton | Obba Babatunde | Gregory Hines | Nicholas Christopher |
| Chimney Man | Keith David | Billy Porter | |
| The Hunnies | Phylliss Bailey | Mamie Ducan-Gibbs | |
| Patty Hollie | Stephanie Pope | ||
| Regina Le Vert | Allison M. Williams | ||
| Miss Mamie | Karole Foreman | Mary Bond Davis | Tiffany Mann |
| Gran Mimi | Freda Payne | Ann Duquesnay | Leslie Uggams |
| Anita | Tonya Pinkins | Joaquina Kalukango | |
| Young Jelly | Robert Barry Fleming | Savion Glover | Alaman Diadhiou |
| Buddy Bolden | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Okierete Onaodowan | |
| Jack The Bear | Stanley Wayne Mathis | John Clay III | |
Notable cast replacements
[edit]Broadway (1992-1993)
[edit]- Jelly Roll Morton: Brian Stokes Mitchell
- Chimney Man: Ken Ard, Ben Vereen
- Anita: Phylicia Rashad
Awards and nominations
[edit]Original Broadway production
[edit]Reception
[edit]John Lahr wrote the introduction to the printed script of Jelly's Last Jam, and noted that the musical "reclaims the gorgeous power of tap dancing as part of musical story telling".[2]
References
[edit]- ^ De Vries, Hilary. "The Wolfe at the (Stage) Door" Los Angeles Times, March 3, 1991
- ^ a b c Wolfe, George C. and Birkenhead, Susan. "Production History" Jelly's Last Jam, Theatre Communications Group, 1993, ISBN 1-55936-069-0, pp. xv-xviii
- ^ Green, Jesse (February 22, 2024). "'Jelly's Last Jam' Review: A Musical Paradise, Even in Purgatory - Did Jelly Roll Morton "invent" jazz, as he claimed? A sensational Encores! revival offers a postmortem prosecution of one of the form's founding fathers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ https://www.theatermania.com/news/leslie-uggams-joins-encores-cast-of-jellys-last-jam_1724326/ [bare URL]
- ^ Okieriete Onaodowan to Star in Jelly's Last Jam at New York City Center Encores!
- ^ "Jelly's Last Jam - The Guide to Musical Theatre". www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ a b c d Rule, Sheila (June 30, 1992). "Reconstructing Jelly Through His Music". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Jelly's Last Jam". Playbill. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Jelly's Last Jam: Vocal Selections. 1994. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ "Credits for Jelly's Last Jam (World Premiere, 1991) | Ovrtur". ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Credits for Jelly's Last Jam (Original Broadway Production, 1992) | Ovrtur". ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Credits for Jelly's Last Jam (Encores! Production, 2024) | Ovrtur". ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Search Past Tony Awards Winners and Nominees". TonyAwards.com. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Awards – Drama Desk". www.dramadesk.org. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "AWARDS FOR 1992-1993". outercritics.org. Retrieved 16 June 2018.