Review: Exceptional Performers Make the Most Out of THE JAZZ SINGER at the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company

I wouldn't describe this production as "nothing but blue skies". THE JAZZ SINGER opened this week, presented by the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company as a toe-tapping musical rendition of the story made famous by the film of the same name. While the film shocked the world with its inventive introduction of synced recorded sound, the musical, written by Michael Ross Albert and directed and choreographed by Timothy French, fails to take any risks.

Beginning in Chicago, against the backdrop of the roaring 20s, Jack Robin (Patrick Cook) is a talented jazz singer who is discovered by the famous Broadway diva, Mary Dale (Kaylee Harwood). Mrs. Dale offers Jack a role in her next Broadway show in New York City, reuniting Jack with the Jewish upbringing he has spent eight years running from. Jack is forced to make a decision - does he keep singing the jazz music he loves? Or does he follow in his father's footsteps, becoming the next in a long line of family cantors.

The story is set to music by Irving Berling, George Gershwin and Jule Styne (to name a few) - and includes popular jazz standards like "Blue Skies", "Make Someone Happy" and "Stormy Weather", played by a six-piece jazz ensemble. While the music is pleasant and definitely recognizable, it never serves to advance an already static storyline. The stakes are there, we're just never given a convincing reason to care about them.

The saving grace comes from the tremendous vocal abilities of the performers. Patrick Cook with his reliable, well-balanced baritone taps into the clichés of jazz vocals (the soft "d"s that form that famous crooner sound). His voice is completely versatile, flipping into a crystalline, limitless belt on demand. Kaylee Harwood shows us all of her vocal colours, from her polished soprano in Act I's "Play a Simple Melody" to an aggressive (gorgeous) belt in the second act. Theresa Tova gives the most emotionally compelling performance as Sara Rabinowitz, breathing life into the dull material.

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THE JAZZ SINGER, presented by the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, plays through June 18, 2017 at the Greenwin Theatre, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St, North York, ON.

For more information and to purchase to tickets, visit hgjewishtheatre.com

(photo credit: Joanna Akyol)

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