| Jelly's Last Jam | |
|---|---|
| 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.
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Jelly's Last Jam premiered at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, California, in March 1991. Directed by Wolfe, Obba Babatunde played Jelly Roll.[1]
The Broadway production opened at the Virginia Theatre on April 26, 1992 and closed on September 5, 1993 after 569 performances and 25 previews. The musical was directed by Wolfe, choreographed by Hope Clarke, with Tap choreography by Gregory Hines and Ted L. Levy, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, and lighting design by Jules Fisher.[2]
In addition to Gregory Hines and Savion Glover as the older and younger Morton, the cast included Ken Ard, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Ann Duquesnay, Tonya Pinkins, Mary Bond Davis, and Keith David.[2]Phylicia Rashad, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Ben Vereen joined the cast later in the run.
An original cast recording was released by Decca Broadway.
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John Lahr wrote the introduction to the printed script of Jelly's Last Jam, and noted that the musical "reclaims the gorgeous power of tap dancing as part of musical story telling".[2]