REVIEW by
Willard Manus
LOS ANGELES -- You don't have to be a jazz lover to enjoy LIKE JAZZ, the
bright, bubbly tribute to the miracle of jazz hatched up by composer Cy
Coleman, lyricists Alan & Marilyn Bergman, and writer Larry Gelbart.
The show, a world premiere, opened recently at the Mark Taper Forum for
a two-month run that will undoubtedly lead to other national and international
productions. Featuring an 18-piece band, five lead singers backed up by
a 10-person ensemble, LIKE JAZZ takes a loving look at the varied aspects
of jazz, with Harry Groener narrating in brief, deft fashion, leaving
it to the music to make the main points.
This is where
LIKE JAZZ differs from other similar shows. Instead of dusting off and
remounting beloved jazz standards, it takes a chance and offers all-new
songs--18 of them, written specifically for LIKE JAZZ by Coleman and the
Bergmans. Their work is not only generous but distinctive, capturing the
essence of jazz convincingly, lovingly. The Bergmans' lyrics are of the
highest order: literate, deep, moving; and Coleman's sophisticated score
(which investigates everything from swing and Afro-Cuban to bossa nova)
benefits from the dynamic orchestrations by Alan Broadbent, Bob Florence,
Tom Kubis, Roger Neumann, Don Sebesky and the late Peter Matz. (The latter's
arrangement of the comic song Cheatin' was, alas, his last).
LIKE JAZZ also succeeds because of its singers, notably Patti Austin, Lillias White and Jennifer Chada, who light up the stage time and time again with their captivating renditions of such songs as He Was Cool (about a sexy sax player), Being Without You (blues) and The Double Life of Billy T. (a bittersweet ballad about the transvestite piano-player, Dorothy Lucille Tipton). Jack Sheldon also delivers two key songs, Don't Touch My Horn and A Little Trav'lin Music (whose complex vocal demands were a struggle for him). Cleavant Derricks scored with his Latin-tinged solo, In Miami.
Smartly put together by Gordon Davidson and choreographer Patricia Birch,
LIKE JAZZ is backed by the technical brilliance of designers D. Martyn
Bookwalter (set & lights) and Judith Dolan (costumes), plus the rear-projection
work of Marc I. Rosenthal and Adam Davidson. The combination of razzle-dazzle
with creative and interpretive flair makes LIKE JAZZ the triumph it is.
Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave. For tickets & info call (213) 628-2772 or visit www.TaperAhmanson.com