Results tagged “Al Jolson” from Birmingham Mail - Is It Just Me

Now any sensible person putting on a show about Al Jolson would accept that at some point the lad is going to have to black up. Not the producers of Jolson & Co in Edinburgh though who took it upon themselves to sanitise history.

Jolson in black make up appears in just one scene described in the 1999 Curtain Up review of the original off-Broadway show thus: "The powerful Act One finale, when rejected by wife No 2, Ruby Keeler, Jolson slowly puts on his black minstrel makeup and then moves down centre stage to sing "My Mammy" gives us a deep-down glimpse into his soul -- and, not incidentally, introduces the only "black face" number without a trace of political incorrectness."

But this is Britain not New York and the producers decided the scene would offend a lot of people - as usual in the world of PC people actually being offended are somewhat thin on the ground but there are always those who will happily take offence on their behalf.

The producers justified their politically but not historically correct decision with the flimsy excuse that Jolson did not black up all the time, I suppose you could say, much in the same way, that Tommy Cooper did not wear a Fez all the time, Jack Benny did not always have a violin and George Formby did not play ukulele all the time.

We are not talking about a return of the Black and White Minstrels here, just one scene, in context, in a biog-musical about a performer who owed much of his fame to black make up. This barmy homage to PC begs the question that if you are that frightened of any suspicion you may have deviated from the party line, why would you pick a subject like Jolson in the first place?