A vivid, impressionistic portrait of legendary jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton, the original 1992 Broadway production of Jelly’s Last Jam secured national recognition for writer/director George C. Wolfe (Shuffle Along, Angels in America), as well as nine Tony nominations, three wins, and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book.
Now, visionary director Robert O’Hara (A Raisin in the Sun) takes up the mantle of this wildly imaginative show that interrogates the self-declared “inventor of jazz” in a purgatorial afterlife, accusing him of denying and denigrating his cultural legacy. With showstopping numbers like “That’s How You Jazz” crafted by lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Working) and composer Luther Henderson from Morton’s own music, Jelly’s Last Jam captures the profound contradictions behind the artist’s explosive talent. Brilliantly utilizing two of this country’s most potent forms of storytelling—jazz and musical theater—Jelly’s Last Jam weaves a complex fable of American history, legacy, and truth.
During the lengthy first act and the short second act, Morton’s biography is sketchy in large part to keep the Morton-Birkenhead songs coming—Birkenhead’s clever, often effectively boisterous lyrics neatly enhancing Morton’s irresistible melodies. One title—“That’s How You Jazz”—stands for the triumph of the others. The jazzing that prevails is infectious, especially in the ensemble numbers, although Birkenhead’s words are often lost in the exhilarating shuffle.
Playing the bejeweled angel, Porter is, well, Porter: flamboyant, loud and often downright obnoxious. In the beginning, he nearly wipes the stage with Christopher, who enters with his back to the audience and doesn’t seem to know that he’s being radically upstaged. Fortunately, there’s genius in that approach to playing Morton, who never seems to care what we think of him. Porter demands our attention, Christopher earns it in a slow-burn performance that ends in Morton’s grand self-immolation.
1985 | New York |
Workshop New York |
1991 | Regional (US) |
World Premiere Regional (US) |
1992 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2006 |
Alliance Theatre Production |
|
2024 | Off-Broadway |
Encores! Concert Revival Production Off-Broadway |
Videos