UK Theatre Network

Jolson & Co – The Musical serves up the expected dish of lively jazz and swing music but also hints at a personality darker than the famous face the performer presented to the world.

With 17 instantly recognisable singalong songs backed by the irrepressible personality of Al Jolson (beautifully rendered by Allan Stewart), this production could be nothing other than a huge hit.  Mr. Stewart was expertly supported by Donna Steele and Christopher Howell who, between them, played 17 diverse characters in this elegant three-hander.  Ms Steele is to be particularly lauded for her ability to draw deep emotion from characters who were sometimes on stage for only a few short minutes.  This show is much more than a simple song and dance review as the complex layers of the great man were revealed in a detailed biopic of his remarkable life.

Born Asa Yoelson in 1886 in Lithuania, the youngster changed his name to avoid racist taunts as a boy when his family moved to America.  At the tender age of 8, the death of his beloved mother in childbirth had a profound influence on the youngster.  He developed his entertainer talent on the streets taking many queues from the multi-racial background of his fellow urchins.  However, he also developed an alienating perfectionism coupled with a burning desire to satisfy his mother’s ambition for him.  As his fame grew, so did his ego and this destroyed three of his four marriages and many friendships.  Al Jolson died in 1950 a living legend and almost 60 years later his musical genius and his epitaph live on – “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”.

This tour has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons.  The producers’ decision to present the show without Jolson in his famous “blackface” makeup in order to minimise offence has sparked controversy and press debate.  Jolson (himself credited with championing equality for black Americans) had always declared that he donned the blackface persona to allow him the liberty to express the energy and enthusiasm that his music required – all this at a time when ‘blacked up’ performers were neither unusual nor controversial.  How quickly people forget that Al Jolson’s music and presentation style influenced popular entertainment as recently as the 1978 ‘Minstrel’ TV shows – 92 years after the great man’s birth! This production should, instead, hit the headlines for a flawless performance by Allan Stewart and a gritty and revealing portrayal of the “World’s Greatest Entertainer”.

LISTINGS

KING’S THEATRE GLASGOW

Mon 18 – Sat 23 May

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed & Sat Mats 2.30pm

Tickets: £12 - £29

Box Office: 0870 060 6648 (bkg)

www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow  (bkg)