Racial Music | "Jelly's Last Jam" @ Pasadena Playhouse

[cahwyguy]

Some will argue that the true first Broadway “jukebox” musical was Ain’t Misbahavin’ back in 1978. It was certainly the first one I saw, back when I was 19 in Los Angeles (at the Aquarius Theatre, later Nick on Sunset). It celebrated the music of Fats Waller, and brought syncopated jazz to a new audience. This was followed by other jukebox musical celebrating seminal black artists, such as the music of Duke Ellington in 1981’s Sophisticated Ladies; and the music of Louis Jordan in FIve Guys Named Moe in 1992 (and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention The Louis Armstrong Musical which begins previews on Broadway in October 2024). 1991 was a particularly interesting year, as it saw the premiers of Five Guys Named Moe in London’s West End, and a musical celebrating the music of Jelly Roll Morton at the CTG’s Mark Taper Forum, Jelly’s Last Jam. I mention this all because although I’ve long had the cast album to Jelly’s Last Jam in my collection, I had never seen the show—that is, until last night, when I saw the show at the Pasadena Playhouse as part of their ongoing Great American Musicals series.

Jelly’s Last Jam purports to tell the story of Jelly Roll Morton; it does this through the device of opening the show with Jelly’s death, and having to retell history to “The Chimney Man” in order to justify where he will end up. Throughout the show, the Chimney Man attempts to get Morton to admit the truth, but Morton prefers his story … until the end. Morton’s story emphasizes his origin from a Creole family (which is true), how his origin led him to look down on what he viewed as dark music, and how he viewed himself as the inventor of Jazz. The latter is really a claim made by Morton, and many believe that it posthumously  damaged his reputation. It roughly covers his history, starting with his living with mother’s parents and later being kicked out for playing piano in a bordello; his time in New Orleans; his time in Chicago and environs, where he meets Anita; his time in New York, and his ending in Los Angeles.

The musical book does correctly capture the attitudes of the times, where lighter-skin blacks with less African backgrounds (such as the French Creoles) viewed themselves as above those taken from Africa. Those attitudes (and the accompanying language) feel off today. This book has also problems when viewed in the light of misogyny and the treatment of women: what was acceptable in the 1910s and 1920s is much less acceptable 100 years later. This, and the darker nature of the story, make the book a bit more problematic today. It won some performance-based Tonys back in the 1990s, but would it be received the same today. It is important when watching this show to remember that Morton was the product of his times, even as uncomfortable as they are today. We can’t chance the past.

Then again, perhaps we can change the past. As with many musicals, Jelly’s Last Jam  conflates many facts and rearranges things. In getting ready to write this up, I did some internet research on Morton, and although the general timeline matches up with the musical, the people often do not. The musical implies he met Anita outside of Chicago and later started a club. Rather, he was with her in Los Angeles, and wasn’t later involved with her. There wasn’t a Jack the Bear who was mentioned at the biographical level, although he did mention Jack the Bear in the Alan Lomax interviews (which also weren’t mention). They fudged with how he died (he was actually knifed in a club in Washington DC, giving him lung problems. Those later took him down in Los Angeles. There are more discrepancies. The bottom line is that this musical shouldn’t be taken as authoritative history. What it does capture accurately is the character of Jelly Roll Morton: his outsize ego, his talent, his pride, his racism towards other blacks, and the chips on his shoulders.

Unlike the horrid Girl From The North Country a few weeks ago, the book problems don’t bring down this show. They just weaken it a bit; they are offset by the tremendous performances in the show. The singing and dancing here are remarkable, especially the tap work of John Clarence Stewart (Jelly Roll Morton) and Doran Butler (Young Jelly/Ensemble).  There was also a trio ensemble (the Hunnies) that was remarkable; in fact, the ensemble was quite strong in terms of overall song and dance. The talent of Jasmine Amy Rogers (Anita) should not be overlooked—I particularly enjoyed her humor and attitude in the bedroom scenes with Jelly Roll. Cress Williams made a strong Chimney Sweep.

The staging and set clearly showed the time and funds that the Pasadena Playhouse put into this. Danny Feldman emphasized, in his opening statement, how much the Playhouse puts into locally mounting and casting these musicals (and how tickets don’t come near to covering the cost). It shows here. This was a spectacular staging, especially in how it was used to establish locale. The only real problems were the downlights into the audience: the moving light made it really hard to read the programs.

We left the show with conflicting views about Jelly Roll Morton the person, and a new appreciation for the music of Jelly Roll Morton. This show is well worth seeing, especially as it is not frequently mounted. Tickets are available through the Pasadena Playhouse, discount tickets may be available through TodayTix. The show runs through June 23, 2024.

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Jelly’s Last Jam. Book by George C. Wolfe. Music by Jelly Roll Morton. Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. Musical adaptation and additional music composed by Luther Henderson. Directed by Kent Gash. Choreography by Dell Howlett. Produced on Broadway by Margo Lion and Pamela Koslow. Jelly’s Last Jam premiered at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, California, in March 1991. Directed by Wolfe, Obba Babatunde played Jelly Roll.

Cast:  John Clarence Stewart Jelly Roll Morton; Cress Williams Chimney Man; Jasmine Amy Rogers Anita; Wilkie Ferguson III Jack the Bear; Karole Foreman Gran Mimi / Ensemble; Eric B. Anthony Three Finger Jake / Ensemble; Doran Butler Young Jelly / Ensemble; Chante Carmel Ensemble; Cyd Charisse Glover-Hill Hunnie; Summer Nicole Greer Miss Mamie; Janaya Mahealani Jones Hunnie; Grasan Kingsberry Buddy Bolden / Ensemble; Amber Liekhus Ensemble; Davon Rashawn Ensemble; Joe Aaron Reid Foot-In-Yo-Ass Sam / Ensemble; Naomi C. Walley Hunnie; Hannah Yosef Too Tight Nora / Ensemble.

Music Department: Darryl Archibald Music Director / Conductor; Abdul Hamid Royal Assoc. Music Director / Piano; Rickey Woodard Reed 1 (Alto Sax / Tenor Sax / Flute); Louis Taylor Reed 2 (Tenor Sax / Clarinet / Bass Clarinet); Frank Fontaine Reed 3 (Clarinet); Aaron Smith and Fernando Pullum Trumpet / Flugelhorn; Bobby Murray Trombone / Tuba; Peter Cho Banjo; Jonathan Richards Bass; Dominic Anzalone Drums / Percussion; Eric Heinly Music Contractor; Tan Onwimon Music Assistant; Brent Crayon Rehearsal Pianist.

Production and Creative:  Edward E. Haynes Jr. Scenic Design; Samantha C. Jones Costume Design; Rui Rita Lighting Design; Danny Erdberg Sound Design; Ursula Kwong Brown Sound Design; Shelia Down Wig Design; Joy DeMichelle Intimacy Coordinator; Cyd Charisse Glover-Hill Asst. Choreographer / Dance Captain; lark hackshaw Stage Manager; David S. Franklin Asst. Stage Manager; Miriam E. Mendoza Asst. Stage Manager; Jessica Keasberry-Vnuk Asst. Stage Manager; Ryan Bernard Tymensky CSA RBT Casting;

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):

• June: ♦ A Strange Loop at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Mrs. Doubtfire at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ Come Blow Your Horn at Canyon Theatre Guild; ♦ Radium Girls at Stage Left Productions (Surprise AZ).
• July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
• August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♣ Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.
• September: ♦ Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac ⊕ at Pasadena Playhouse;
• October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.

On the Theatrical Horizon:

Season renewals are in process: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; and Pasadena Playhouse are all renewed. We’re looking to see what Chromolume Theatre (which is returning) and Canyon Theatre Guild are planning. Other than that, Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November.

 

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Racial Music | "Jelly's Last Jam" @ Pasadena Playhouse by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.