Highlights from Jelly's Last Jam, currently playing at the New York City Center.
As an Encores! production, it has a stacked cast including Nicholas Christopher as Jelly Roll Morton, John Clay III as Jack the Bear, Alaman Diadhiou as Young Jelly, Joaquina Kalukango as Anita, Tiffany Mann as Miss Mamie, Okieriete Onaodowan as Buddy Bolden, Billy Porter as Chimney Man, and Leslie Uggams as Gran Mimi. Original Broadway cast members Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, Stephanie Pope Lofgren, and Allison M. Williams reprise their roles as the Hunnies.
Rumors of a Broadway transfer have been floating about, even reaching the New York Times.
"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby
Encores! Jelly's Last Jam
February 24, 2024 | NYCC | Encores! Series | Evening | Musical | Concert | 2H 30M
Encores! slated its first two shows early this year, with the last one in June, so I don't know what that's about. But this was far more enjoyable than Once Upon a Mattress. A complex and off-putting protagonist makes a compelling figure in this dance-heavy concert presentation of the 1992 Broadway musical. The women of this show are all breathtaking with powerhouse voices. Leslie Uggams has one big number and that 80-year-old broad brought the house down all without taking a step. Joaquina Kalukongo was excellent, of course. But my greatest love goes to the Hunnies, Stephanie Pope, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs and Allison M. Williams, the original Hunnies in that 1992 production, back in their roles after 32 years, and more gorgeous than ever. Living proof that 60-something women are sexy, flexible, and bursting with talent.
Ep31 Putting the TONYA in TONY Award w/ Tonya Pinkins! (Broadway!)
Speed, Camera, Rolling! This week, AW and his EXTRA-special guest co-host, Aria Jackson, are joined by Tony Award winning actress, Tonya Pinkins, to chat about Jelly's Last Jam, Iggy Pop's Raw Power, Tonya's directorial-debut, Red Pill, plus a whole lot more! twitter.com/tonyapinkins -- twitter.com/redpillmovie2020 -- and check out Aria's work at www.ariajackson.net!
ive rlly grown into my “angry drama teacher who wants everyone to succeed and chase their dreams but cannot stop shit talking theatre and broadway as an industry” phase
I'm making lilac jelly! And lilac sugar, and syrup, and possibly some other things because, well, I took a gigantic bowl of flowers and it's not even noticeable when you look at the tree.
Also on the subject of bio musicals… jelly’s last jam is honestly the gold standard for me because it acknowledges the impact of his work as a musician while deconstructing the harm he caused as a man. It’s not just “this was his life and music” it uses his life as a framing narrative that facilitates questions of loyalty/betrayal/identity/entitlement/worth. It doesn’t glorify his legacy it examines and engages with it in a way that holds up really well. And maybe I’m just obsessing over it because I recently did a two day training on dialogic interpretation but like. The Chimney Man as a character asks the audience the kind of critical questions that we ask our interpreters at the museum as we actively work on how to better examine our own famous/problematic guy. The kind of role that that character fulfills could so easily have been developed as just a narrator but George C Wolfe made a conscious decision to make it the role of an active interlocutor. Which also ties into the history of minstrelsy and vaudeville. Which is directly tied to the history not only of the period in which the show is set but also the history of black music and dance and theatre in America. It’s so layered and intentional and it’s one of those things where I’m like why did we never talk about THIS in any of my theatre history or critical theatre courses in undergrad. We talked about so many examples of theatre as social commentary or theatre as history or theatre as education and this example was right there and a part of RECENT and ACCESSIBLE theatrical history. But it never once came up.
okay so the rice wasnt holding shape as much as i wanted it to but was still cooked enough so i decided to make a mix instead of musubi. didnt really make fried rice per se... i didnt fry any of the rice but i did mix spam with rice, eggs, peas, and seaweed. could've used some carrots and green onions but i legit dont have any right now
Additional casting has been announced for the Jelly's Last Jam, the second show in the 2024 Encores season.
The cast features Nicholas Christopher as Jelly Roll Morton, John Clay III as Jack the Bear, Joaquina Kalukango as Anita, Tiffany Mann as Miss Mamie, Billy Porter as the Chimney Man and Leslie Uggams as Gran Mimi. Original cast members Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, Stephanie Pope Lofgren, and Allison M. Williams will reprise their roles as the Hunnies.
Jelly's Last Jam features music from Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and a book by George C Wolfe. The Encores production is directed by Robert O'Hara and runs from February 21 to March 3, 2024
Finding out Gardens of Anuncia closes on December 31: 😓
The thing about LaChiusa (other than that he's good and I love him) is that his shows NEVER get done. So you have to catch the original run or that's it!