Jolson

For the entertainer, see Al Jolson.

Original cast recording

Jolson is a musical with a book by Francis Essex and Rob Bettinson and a score composed of tunes by some of the all-time greatest songwriters of Tin Pan Alley.

Premise

Based on the life of singer Al Jolson, one of America's most popular entertainers, it spans thirty years of his career. Out of the limelight, the plot emphasizes his personal faults as much as it does his professional successes. Other major characters include his wife Ruby Keeler and his longtime friend and agent Louis Epstein.

Productions

The West End production, directed by Bettinson, opened on October 26, 1995 at the Victoria Palace Theatre, where it ran for seventeen months.[1] The cast included Brian Conley as Jolson, Sally Ann Triplett as Keeler, John Bennett as Epstein, Julie Armstrong, Alison Carter & Helen McNee as The Rooney Sisters.

An original cast album was recorded live during the performances of February 29, March 1, and March 2, 1996 and released by First Night Records.[2]

Jolson - The Musical was staged at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto from June through October 1997. A proposed move to Broadway never materialized. However, a national US tour did occur beginning in October 1998, with the production performing in 34 cities.[3]

Song list

  • "I'm Sitting on Top of the World"
  • "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody"
  • "Toot-Toot-Tootsie Goodbye"
  • "There's a Rainbow Round My Shoulder"
  • "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy"
  • "For Me and My Gal"
  • "You Made Me Love You"
  • "Swanee"
  • "California Here I Come"
  • "Blue Skies"
  • "My Mammy"
  • "This is the Army, Mr. Jones"
  • "I'm Just Wild About Harry"
  • "I Only Have Eyes for You"
  • "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee"
  • "Swanee"
  • "Baby Face"
  • "Sonny Boy"
  • "The Spaniard That Blighted My Life"
  • "I'm Just Wild About Harry"
  • "Around a Quarter to Nine"
  • "Carolina in the Morning"
  • "Give My Regards to Broadway"
  • "My Mammy (Reprise)"[4]

Reception

Variety received the show negatively, calling it "dull" and criticizing it for overlooking the more controversial parts of Jolson's life and performances.[4]

Awards

Under the auspices of the Laurence Olivier Awards, it won the American Express Award for Best New Musical. Olivier nominations went to Conley for Best Actor in a Musical and Bennett for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.thisistheatre.com/shows/victoriapalace98.html Victoria Palace Theatre
  2. ^ http://www.footlight.com/product.cfm?product_id=2765 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine original cast album
  3. ^ Simonson, Robert; Lefkowitz, David (19 May 1998). "Broadway Gets The Jazz Singer; Rest of US To Get Jolson: The Musical". Playbill. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Wolf, Matt (12 February 1996). "Jolson". Variety. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Official London Theatre Guide". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2007. American Express Award for Best New Musical