Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Jelly's Last Jam

 
American Theater Guide: Jelly's Last Jam
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > American Theater Guide

Jelly's Last Jam (1992), a musical play by George C. Wolfe (book), Jelly Roll Morton, Luther Henderson (music), Susan Birkenhead (lyrics). [ Virginia Theatre, 569 perf.] Composer Jelly Roll Morton (Gregory Hines) has died and faces the Chimney Man (Keith David), the “concierge” of the light‐skinned African American's soul. In a series of flashbacks, the young Jelly (Savion Glover) picks up the sounds of New Orleans and grows up to invent jazz, though he often denies his black heritage, and his relationships with others are far from noble. Notable songs: That's How You Jazz; Jelly's Jam; Lovin' Is a Lowdown Blues. A dark musical biography where the hero is an unlikable man with a tortured soul, Jelly's Last Jam was given a highly stylized production by director Wolfe, and the performances were riveting; both Hines and Tonya Pinkins, as Morton's lover, won Tonys. Gregory HINES (1946–2003), a native New Yorker and the son of entertainer Maurice Hines, was on stage as a boy, becoming part of the Hines Kids act in the 1950s and then in the 1960s danced with his father and brother Maurice Jr. as Hines, Hines, and Dad. Hines made his Broadway debut in 1954 as a child dancer in The Girl in Pink Tights, then returned decades later in the revues Eubie (1978) and Sophisticated Ladies (1981). He also played the Harlem version of Scrooge in the short‐lived Comin' Uptown (1979). Hines was considered one of the best tap dancers ever to grace the stage.

Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Jelly's Last Jam
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Jelly's Last Jam
JellysLastJam.jpg
Music Jelly Roll Morton
Luther Henderson
Lyrics Susan Birkenhead
Book George C. Wolfe
Basis The life of Jelly Roll Morton
Productions 1992 Broadway
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 Morton, 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.

After 25 previews, the Broadway production, directed by Wolfe and choreographed by Hope Clarke, opened on April 26, 1992 at the Virginia Theatre, where it ran for 569 performances. In addition to Gregory Hines and Savion Glover as the older and younger Morton, the cast included Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Ann Duquesnay, Tonya Pinkins, and Keith David. Phylicia Rashad and Ben Vereen joined the cast later in the run.

An original cast recording was released by Decca Broadway.

Song list

Act I
  • Jelly's Jam
  • In My Day
  • The Creole Way
  • The Whole World's Waitin' to Sing Your Song
  • Street Scene
  • Michigan Water
  • Get Away Boy
  • Lonely Boy Blues
  • Somethin' More
  • That's How You Jazz
  • The Chicago Stomp
  • Play the Music for Me
  • Lovin' Is a Lowdown Blues
  • Dr. Jazz
Act II
  • Good Ole New York
  • Too Late, Daddy
  • That's the Way We Do Things in New Yawk
  • Jelly's Isolation Dance
  • The Last Chance Blues
  • The Last Rites

Awards and nominations

  • Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Hines, winner)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (David, nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Pinkins, winner)
  • Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (winner)
  • Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical (winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Hines, winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Glover, nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Pinkins, winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestration/Musical Adaptation (winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics (winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costumes (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (winner)

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jelly's Last Jam".  Read more