Review: James Jackson Jr. & John-Andrew Morrison Bring 5 QUESTIONS WITH JAMES AND JAM To The Green Room 42

Everyone has heard the stories about what other people did during the pandemic, how they passed their time in quarantine, and what they came out of the lockdown having accomplished. Some people did something, some people did nothing, and every person's own story is valid and acceptable - it's just interesting to see what people did.

Particularly interesting is the story of James Jackson Jr. and John-Andrew Morrison, who created a virtual chat show, the first episode of which aired on YouTube on February 18th of 2021. 5 QUESTIONS WITH JAMES & JAM consists of some twenty episodes that have been archived HERE with new episodes happening as recently as July 11th of this year, and what the two besties (and co-stars in the Broadway musical play A Strange Loop) do on their Zoom chat program is kibitz and laugh and spread joy, including a sit-down with a member (or members) of the Broadway theatrical community. It's great fun, mostly because of the Boyz and their inimitable and adorable style and presence.

And now 5 Questions With James & JAM is a live show.

On September 19th James and John-Andrew took their act to The Green Room 42 and tested out the waters of live programming with an in-person version of 5 Questions. Well, the waters are fine, and the engaging two talents might conceivably turn their YouTube show into a residency in the Midtown Manhattan nightclub, if that is something that they want. Let's all admit it - sometimes a good idea that gets realized turns out not to be as exciting as one dreamed it would be, especially in cabaret and concert, and what was planned for a project with legs turns out to be a one-off. This writer can think of two such chat show outings that took place on this very stage, only to become a dim memory of something that had promise but not pay-off. Speaking personally, I hope that 5 Questions has legs and a future because it was good - this was an excellent first outing... but I have notes.

5 Questions With James & JAM follows a pretty traditional chat show format, and, for all their flamboyance and flair, James and John-Andrew are pretty traditional chat show hosts. Working from the ground up with personalities most easily described as hilarious with a take-no-prisoners attitude, the two gentlemen (online research indicates both men use the pronouns he/him/his) present their program in three segments: 1.) opening monologue with sketch/musical number, 2.) the titular 5 questions, featuring their special guest, and 3.) their closing segment with musical number and profound thoughts. James and JAM work wonderfully well together, and with their Musical Director Drew Wutke, who is ideally suited to this kind of venture. Mr. Wutke is one of the industry's MD's who has a personality that demands attention - he can't help it, it occurs naturally, in life - and sometimes when he is playing for a storyteller, audience tendency to look his fabulous way can distract from the storyteller. But when acting as a Doc Severinsen or a TWitch Boss to on-stage hosts, when given an opportunity to bounce babble with the equally compelling persons of John-Andrew and James Jr., the proceedings are made all the more light and laughter-filled. There isn't a Musical Director more perfect for this gig than Wutke, particularly given the amount of music in the show.

Morrison and Jackson have voices as big as their personalities, and when they performed their quasi-comedic medley of duet numbers that they "won't" be doing, their skills impressed, when they did a comedy bit involving their theme song (they have a theme song) the audience played along, and when they hosted a sing-a-long of a famous song by The Carpenters, the crowd complied with heartfelt and earnest "la la la's" as though at an elementary school hootenanny. The music is an essential part of the programming, and the twosome is happy to provide it, and to such high quality (anyone who has heard them sing knows just how high the quality).

As for the 5 Questions segment in 5 Questions With James & JAM, the duo invited Broadway and television actress Patti Murin to have a sit-down with them, and their interview skills are considerable, to say the least. There were questions of levity (something unavoidable with Patti Murin involved) that led to much laughter, but James and Jam weren't afraid to talk about serious topics, and they did so with respect. Murin is an outspoken advocate for mental health, and John-Andrew and James opened the floor for an honest discussion on the serious topic, and with the show being live-streamed, Patti was able to reach more people with her message of hope and self-care. The interview questions were all well-thought out, properly constructed and presented, and (most importantly of all) once the questions were asked, both interviewers sat back and let the interviewee talk. They listened. They did not make the grave error that many interviewers make of asking a question and then continuing to talk, rather than allowing a proper answer. High marks on interviewing are deserved and are bestowed. And then, to bring the levity back to the room, JAM and James played a game with Patti called PICK A PAIR OF PATTI'S (it's clever and sort of defies description), with her very self being one of the Patti's up for choosing. As chat show interview segments go, this was a home run, and since the title of the show actually involves the interview theme, that puts James and JAM ahead of the curve.

Now for the notes. Note. Just one. This is forgivable and it is also correctable. Both Boyz lean too heavily on their script. There are three music stands right at the foot of the stage with their notes on them, including their lyrics, and for their first segment, the audience saw the tops of their heads more than their faces. This is a natural thing to have happen on their first live show - they do eight shows a week on Broadway, this was their night off, they probably didn't have a lot of time to prepare, they were possibly nervous - there are any number of reasons that the enigmatic fellows relied so much on those stands and notes, so this is forgivable. If they do more live editions of this chat show, they will surely become more comfortable as live emcee's and this crutch will correct itself. But it is incumbent upon this reviewer to tell both James and John-Andrew this publicly: you don't need the notes. You're good enough without them. You could go out on the stage without preparation (but please don't) and wing it, and you would be fine. You're that good. But by spending so much time looking down at those notes, that script, that lyric, you're building a wall between yourself and the audience - and that just can't happen. You're too good to put that barrier up. Trust in your skill and take a leap - it will pay off.

5 Questions With James & JAM is a fun show to watch on YouTube (again, the link is HERE) but it's even more fun in person, and this reviewer sincerely hopes that this was the first of several outings with the program. It might behove the powers that be at The Green Room 42 to sit down with the Strange Loop stars and have a discussion about a possible residency, for the audiences will, most certainly, come to join in on the fun, the music, and the conversation.

Find great shows to see at The Green Room 42 website HERE.

HERE is the James Jackson Jr. website and THIS is the John-Andrew Morrison website.

THIS is the 5 Questions with James and Jam YouTube Channel.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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