Jelly's Last Jam
Closing: March 03, 2024Jelly's Last Jam - 2024 Off-Broadway History , Info & More
New York City Center
131 West 55th St. (between 6th and 7th Avenues) New York, NY 10019
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.
Jelly's Last Jam - 2024 - Off-Broadway Cast
PREVIEW Jelly's Last Jam - 2024 - Off-Broadway
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FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Jelly's Last Jam
The Jazz Age Re-reborn: At Encores!, Jelly’s Last Jam
7 / 10
The score is built around Jelly Roll Morton’s own music — with lyrics by Susan Birkenhead and some additional music by Luther Henderson — and it serves as a showcase for Morton’s genius as well as the talents of this production’s starry cast. Jason Michael Webb, the guest musical director, fills the theater with sound and energy, making the first act feel like a series of dramatic crescendos, each outdoing the last.
Jelly’s Last Jam – City Center Encores!
7 / 10
The show’s physical production is equally first-rate. Clint Ramos’ nightclub set is dominated by an art-deco style door that is both inventive and terrifying, if you look closely; its only drawback is that there may not be quite enough dance floor for this unusually large ensemble. Dede Ayite’s costumes, as is consistently the case, are both stunning and period-appropriate (although I suspect Porter’s gender-bending outfit may have come from his own closet) and Adam Honore’s lighting design truly shines brightly. (The sound design, by Megumi Katayama, does need a bit of fine-tuning.)
by Blair Ingenthron - February 28, 2024
Watch video footage of Nicholas Christopher, Alaman Diadhiou, and the ensemble of Encores! Jelly's Last Jam performing 'The Whole World’s Waitin’ to Sing Your Song' here!
by A.A. Cristi - February 26, 2024
Get a peek at the New York City Center Encores! production of Jelly’s Last Jam. In the video below, watch as Tiffany Mann and Okieriete Onaodowan as Buddy Bolden perform “Michigan Water”!
by Nicole Rosky - February 22, 2024
Up next in the New York City Center Encores! season is Jelly’s Last Jam. Check out new photos of the cast in action!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - February 22, 2024
Read the reviews for Jelly's Last Jam at New York City Center, starring Billy Porter and more.
by Nicole Rosky - February 21, 2024
In this video, watch highlights of Jelly's Last Jam at New York City Center Encores!.
by Nicole Rosky - February 21, 2024
In this video, watch as the cast of Encores! Jelly's Last Jam meets the press and gives a special sneak peek of 'Jelly's Jam' and 'Play the Music for Me.'
by Bruce Glikas - February 16, 2024
Jelly’s Last Jam runs February 21 through March 3 at New York City Center. The company recently met the press and BroadwayWorld was on hand to chat with them about the upcoming show. Check out photos from the press event here!
by Nicole Rosky - February 13, 2024
Rehearsals are now underway for Encores! next show- Jelly’s Last Jam, led by director Robert O’Hara. Check out a new photo as the cast paused from rehearsals here!
by Chloe Rabinowitz - February 5, 2024
Okieriete Onaodowan (Hamilton) will join the cast of Encores! Jelly’s Last Jam as Buddy Bolden and Alaman Diadhiou will make his New York stage debut as Young Jelly. See the full cast and learn how to purchase tickets!
by Nicole Rosky - February 1, 2024
It's Jelly's first Jam! The 15-piece Encores! Orchestra, led by Guest Music Director Jason Michael Webb are jammin’ in “Jelly’s Jam,” a musical theater orchestration of Jelly Roll Morton’s iconic original jazz music, and Webb provides insight into how the music connects past and present in this video.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - December 19, 2023
NEW YORK CITY CENTER has revealed additional casting for Jelly’s Last Jam the second production of the 30th Encores! series.
Jelly's Last Jam FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Crave
Kansas City Stomp
Mr. Jelly Lord
Someday Sweetheart [i]
Pep
If Someone Would Only Love Me [i]
Wolverine
Black Bottom Stomp
Mamie's Blues [i]
Original Jelly Roll Blues
Prologue
Jelly's Jam
In My Day
The Creole Way
The Whole World's Waitin' to Sing Your Song
Street Scene
Michigan Waters
Get Away Boy
Lonely Boy Blues
Something More
The Pool Game
That's How You Jazz
The Chicago Stomp
Play the Music for Me
Lovin'Is a Low Down Blues
Good Ole New York
Too Late, Daddy
That's the Way We Do Things in New Yawk
Door Slam
Jelly's Isolation Dance
The Last Chance Blues
The Last Chance
The Last Rites
Boy, Pretty Boy
Creole Boy
We Are the Rhythms That Color Your Song
Jelly Dancing on the Moon
De Chimney Man
Le Famile Creole
L'Abandonnement
Jizz/Jazz
Don't You Leave Me Here
You Can't Stop Jelly (When Jelly's on a Roll)
The Night's Singing Another Song
Welcome to West Hell
Listen Fool
I'm Here
You
The Hunnies' Rag
Winin' Boy
Someday Sweetheart [ii]
Doctor Jazz
Doctor Jazz
Jelly's Last Jam History
Other Productions of Jelly's Last Jam
| 1985 | New York |
Workshop New York |
| 1991 | Regional (US) |
World Premiere Regional (US) |
| 1992 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2006 |
Alliance Theatre Production |
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| 2024 | Off-Broadway |
Encores! Concert Revival Production Off-Broadway |
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