jazz singer NYC Reviews and Tickets

79%

(20 Reviews)

Positive

80%

Mixed

20%

Negative

Members say

Ambitious, Confusing, Relevant, Absorbing, Thought-provoking

About the Show

Abrons Arts Center presents this theatrical exhumation of the first feature-length "sound film,” "The Jazz Singer."

From the show:

jazz singer is a theatrical exhumation of the first feature-length “sound film” The Jazz Singer, reinterpreted by Joshua William Gelb and Nehemiah Luckett. Set on the Lower East Side, the 1927 film tells the story of a “jazz crooner” forced to choose between his immigrant Jewish heritage and his aspirations to become a Broadway star. Though the film is historically significant for its integration of synchronized sound, it is also remembered for its controversial use of blackface. Gelb and Luckett’s musical rendering offers a contemporary take on a distinctly U.S. American story, one that interrogates appropriation, assimilation, atonement, and whether escape from the specter of blackface is possible.

Member Reviews (20)

Surprising, Great singing, Advanced discussion, Grappling, Intelligent

See it if you find meaning in classics even if they’re grossly inappropriate now. Smart, investigative show that weighs homage w/ critical thinking.

Don't see it if you want permission to excuse or celebrate blackface. You dislike actors playing themselves & competing perspectives in multiple timeframes. Read more

Intelligent, Entertaining, Edgy, Confusing

See it if you want something unconventional and different; like thought-provoking analysis of the black and the Jewish experience

Don't see it if you don't like live and old-timey recorded jazz music! Or need something linear and easy to follow Read more

Clever, Experimental, Entertaining, Great singing, Ambitious

See it if you like a drama with good singing and are interested in old movies.

Don't see it if you expect swingy jazz music. It's good music but you don't get swing.

Absorbing, Disappointing, Confusing

See it if you like music in plays

Don't see it if you need a clear plot outline

Intense, Relevant, Intelligent, Great staging

See it if you will be absorbed by a complex and intricate theatrical piece about challenging multi-layered historical subject matter

Don't see it if you want a straight forward narrative, or don't want to be challenged to think outside the box Read more

Confusing, Overrated, Good singing

See it if You enjoy learning more about history of the 1927 film The Jazz Singer and don't care about a linear plot

Don't see it if You aren't interested in jazz or the movie The Jazz Singer and want to see a play with a traditional, linear style.

Ambitious, Confusing

See it if you enjoy seeing non-traditional theater "adapted" from the film The Jazz Singer.

Don't see it if you want to see a traditional musical or play. Read more

Confusing, Relevant, Resonant

See it if You are interested in film history and issues concerning race. You don't mind a bit of a mishmash as long as it's interesting.

Don't see it if you want a rigorously worked show that integrates its perspectives into something meaningful. you are seeking a deeply emotional experinece

Critic Reviews (1)

"‘jazz singer’ Looks to Complicate a Film’s Fraught History: A director and a composer play versions of themselves in a fascinating but frustrating reconsideration of a movie infamous for its use of blackface."
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Trailer

Creative team