Review Roundup: HGJTC and Dancap Productions to Present THE JAZZ SINGER

The Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company and Dancap Productions present THE JAZZ SINGER, a new musical adaption of Samson Raphaelson's classic story of a son's struggle between his passion for a Broadway career, and his father's plans to have him follow in his footsteps as a cantor. The production will run May 23 - June 18, 2017 at Greenwin Theatre, Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Featuring music from the Great American Songbook and newly adapted by Toronto playwright Michael Ross Albert (Tough Jews), the Harold Green Jewish Theatre and Dancap production of THE JAZZ SINGER is presented by Toby & Saul Feldberg & Family.

THE JAZZ SINGER features over 20 classics songs from the Great American Songbook by legendary composers including Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Al Jolson. Songs include "Rainbow Round My Shoulder," "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy," and "Blue Skies."

Let's see what the critics had to say!

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BroadwayWorld (Taylor Long): 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.

The Globe and Mail (Brad Wheeler): In the titular role, following in the hoof steps of Al Jolson and George Jessel, is Patrick Cook. He's a talented guy, all matinee-idol handsome and with an excellent grasp of the Jazz Age city-swell accent. He can sing very well - Michael Bubla? - though his sweet and Sunny tenor doesn't possess the melancholy of a man who should sing "with a teardrop in his voice." His dancing is proficient, but carefully executed - he moves in a studiEd Manner, as if the book he seemed to be balancing on his head had been written by Arthur Murray.

Toronto Star (Bruce Demara): Patrick Cook, who plays the lead, has the pipes, both in range and richness, to carry off the role. His New York accent is pretty spot-on and he's even a pretty good dancer. But there isn't a whole lot that works after that. A big part of the problem is the performance space, the improbably situated Greenwin theatre space within the Toronto Centre for the Arts, where the Star caught a preview show Sunday. The theatre space doesn't even have a proper curtain so scene changes are clunkily achieved in dim light with cast members sometimes pitching in to move and remove furniture and sets. It's distracting.

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