''Jolson Tonight'' is a musical with a book by
Nicholas Dante
Nicholas Dante (November 22, 1941 – May 21, 1991
from '' ...
. The musical is based on the life of
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
.
Background
Nicholas Dante was hired by producer Jeff Britton to write ''Jolson Tonight'' after his previous Al Jolson musical, ''Joley'', failed in spring 1979. The show was written in a similar fashion to ''
A Chorus Line
''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.
Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...
'', Dante's previous musical, by having a series of recorded conversations with star
Larry Kert
Lawrence Frederick "Larry" Kert (December 5, 1930 – June 5, 1991) was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for his role of Tony in the original Broadway production of the musical ''West Side Story''.
Early life
Kert was ...
about the public and private life of Al Jolson.
[''Al Jolson Tonight'']
ovrtur.com, retrieved June 8, 2019[Lawson, Carol]
''The New York Times'', July 25, 1979
The show was doing a pre-Broadway trial in five cities in the 1980 in preparation for a run on Broadway. The backers' audition was held in July 1979 to about 200 spectators.
[ ][ Rehearsals started in June 1980, and the cost was $1.4 million with a cast of 30. The show opened on July 21, 1980 in Indianapolis. The tryout was supposed to play there for a week followed by week-long runs in Kansas City, , ]St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
and Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
.[ The set was designed by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case, who along with director Michael Shawn created many of the visual concepts. The costumes were designed by Donna Granata.
The creative team included ]Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin (, , ), born Pietro Costante Cardino (2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020), was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometric sha ...
, a fashion designer, who was trying to get the show to Broadway, produced by Salvatore Pirrone, directed and choreographed by Michael Shawn, and starring Larry Kert."Liz Smith Column"
''Spokane Daily Chrnicle'', google.com, July 17, 1981
The show is said to have closed because no Broadway theatres were available at the time.[
]
Cast
The cast featured Larry Kert
Lawrence Frederick "Larry" Kert (December 5, 1930 – June 5, 1991) was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for his role of Tony in the original Broadway production of the musical ''West Side Story''.
Early life
Kert was ...
as Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
, Alan Kass as Eppy, Elliot Levine as Moses Yoelson, Al's father, Stuart Zagnit as "Fingers", Matthew Kwiat as Harry, Maureen Moore as Ruby, Roxann Parker as Henrietta, Hal Maxwell as Lee Shubert
Lee Shubert (born Levi Schubart; March 25, 1871– December 25, 1953) was a Lithuanian-born American theatre owner/operator and producer and the eldest of seven siblings of the theatrical Shubert family.
Biography
Born to a Jewish family, the so ...
, Michon Peacock as Ethel, Michael McCarty
Michael McCarty (September 7, 1946 - September 26, 2014) was an American movie, television, and stage actor. He was known for his roles in ''Casper'' (1995), ''Dead Man'' (1995), and in '' The Legend of Bagger Vance'' (2000). He was born in Evan ...
as Jake Shubert and Lawrence Raiken as Eddie Cantor. The ensemble included Paula Grider, Richard Haskin, Nancy Hess, Brenda Holmes, Suzie Jary, Robert Kellett, Chrissy Kellogg, Michael Lang, Kitty Laub, Paige Massman, Annette Michel, Brad Miskell, Gina Paglia, D'Arcy Phifer, Freda Soiffer, Christina Stolberg, Gary Sullivan, Carla Farnsworth-Webb, David Westphal and Barrie Wood.
See also
* ''Jolson
''Jolson'' is a musical with a book by Francis Essex and Rob Bettinson and a score composed of tunes by some of the all-time greatest songwriters of Tin Pan Alley.
Based on the life of singer Al Jolson, one of America's most popular entertainer ...
''
References
{{reflist
1980 musicals
Al Jolson songs
Musicals inspired by real-life events