NEW YORK - Jelly’s Last Jam at City CenterI don’t know what you have planned for this weekend, but if you have not seen this gorgeous Encores! production of “Jelly’s Last Jam” at City Center – I suggest you rethink whatever you have going for you and GET THERE! From the tippity-top of this story of Jelly Roll Morton all the way to the finale, this is one, you should pardon the expression, “jam-packed” event. There is not a moment of hesitation or mild-mannered anything. Chimney Man (Billy Porter) warns us from the get-go that this is a tale of a man with a gift and a huge case of denial about the earth from which he came. And this will be his funeral.We watch as Jelly is tossed from soaring success to the depths of despair while all around him, the crowds watch. The Three Hunnies (Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, Stephanie Pope Lofgren, and Allison M. Williams) are a dispassionate Greek Chorus leading us all through the maze that will be the tale.For starters, Jelly insists he is Creole, not black. And therein lies the beginning of the tale. Even his Gran Mini (Leslie Uggams in fine voice) wants nothing to do with him. “If you spit in the water, there’s no going back to the well.” Leslie Uggams in a scene from Jelly’s Last Jam. Photo by Joan MarcusEncores!Jelly’s Last Jam; Leslie Uggams. Photo by Joan MarcusThe more the crowds circle around Jelly, the more he protests that there is no black b in him and that his ancestors came directly from France. And as if to purposely make your head spin, while Jelly denies his heritage, he also declares that HE created jazz. On his own. Period. We see that path that he chooses over and over again. It reminded me of the sad story of Dylan Thomas. There was no stopping either one.This is a series of one stunning performance after another, with particular standouts being Joaquina Kalukango as Anita and Tiffany Mann as Miss Mamie, both of whom you hope will lean over the footlights and invite you to a private affair right after the show. Nicholas Christopher holds it all together with style, skill, and enthusiasm and is the center of everyone’s universe. Billy Porter is glorious as our guide. Both ruthless and sympathetic, he is the one who keeps the engine running and makes the tale breathe until the very end. The tale starts in a little joint somewhere between Heaven and Hell. Despite Wolfe’s weak script, under Robert O’Hara’s crisp and determined direction, that is exactly where the story concludes. Special mention must be made to Music Director Jason Michael Webb, The Encores! Orchestra, the ensemble, and the choreography of Edgar Godineaux and Dormeshia. Their combined efforts knock it out of the park. More than once, the audience exploded into applause in the middle of a dance routine.Jelly’s Last Jam – book by George C. Wolfe, directed by Robert O’Hara with choreography by Edgar Godineaux and tap choreography by Dormeshia, Guest Music Director Jason Michael Webb The Encores! Orchestra. Set to jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton’s iconic tunes with lyrics by Susan Birkenhead and musical adaptation and additional music composed by Luther Henderson.WITH Nicholas Christopher, John Clay III, Tiffany Mann, Leslie Uggams, Joaquina Kalukango, Billy Porter, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, Stephanie Pope Lofgren, and Allison M. WilliamsENSEMBLE – Raymond Baynard, Shawn Bowers, Amanda Castro, Joshua Dawson, John Edwards, Ari Groover, Morgan Mcghee, Jodeci Milhouse, Ramone Nelson, Aul Niebanck, James Patterson, Antonia Raye, Salome Smith, Taylor Mackenzie Smith, Funmi Sofola, Ordan Simone Stephens , Renell Anthony Taylor, Nasia Thomas , Sir Brock Warren , Chanse WilliamsThrough March 3, 2024 – Tickets starting from $45 (fees included) can be purchased online at NYCityCenter.org, by calling 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office. Access City Center Club is available to those 35 and under and offers a limited number of $28 tickets (fees included) to City Center productions. For more information and to sign up, visit NYCityCenter.org/Access. New York City Center is at 131 W 55th St between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Readers may also enjoy our reviews of The Maid and the Mezmerizer, Seven Year Disappear, Until Dark, This is Not a Time of Peace, The Connector, Aberdeen at the SOHO Playhouse, and The Days of Wine and Roses.https://youtu.be/MkGjDbKauVo?si=-FZKzJ_EPAHa9Gnw