Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Daniel J. Watts lets it all hang out in his lively coming-of-age memoir THE JAM: ONLY CHILD

• By drediman
• March 31, 2021
• No Comments

Last night, I streamed Daniel J. Watts’s theatrical memoir The Jam: Only Child, courtesy of the Virginia-based Signature Theatre. Mr. Watts, a Tony nominee “this” season for his fiery performance as Ike Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, uses an intoxicating blend of eclectic performance styles – namely hip-hop, poetry, dance, and dramatic solo performance – to chronicle his coming-of-age story as an only child. Over the course of 90 fast-paced minutes, Mr. Watts let’s it all hang out for us to bear witness, from the hyper-imagination of his childhood, to the growing pains of adolescence, to the confusion of college, and ultimately to his transformative reckoning with the tough realities of being a Black Man.

Documenting this kind of evolution from innocence to hard-won adulthood has long made for compelling theater. In the case of The Jam: Only Child, that’s mostly true, thanks largely to Mr. Watts’s immense charisma and earnest, confident delivery. The show works best during the earlier, more lighthearted segments covering his childhood and adolescence, during which Mr. Watts is able to channel the unfiltered wonder of those years uncannily – it’s a joy to watch. As you can imagine, the latter half of the show takes a more somber turn. Although I don’t doubt his struggles, Mr. Watts doesn’t quite yet portray ache and rage with the same consistent bravado and specificity as the levity of his early life. Nevertheless, it’s all very heartfelt and, in final assessment, moving.

The production has been directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, an exciting up-and-coming talent who has impressed me with her exciting work in recent years in the Off-Broadway scene. Her lively staging – lit vigorously by Adam Honoré’s concert-like lighting design – smartly takes its cue from Mr. Watts’ natural onstage energy and exuberance. The show’s other stage presence is DJ Duggz, whose dynamic, foley-like sound design and hyper-reactive deejaying skills is a synergistic match for Mr. Watts’s rapid fire performance. Additionally, the film capture has been tightly edited by James Gardiner, enhancing the theatricality of watching The Jam: Only Child from the comfort of your home.

RECOMMENDED

THE JAM: ONLY CHILD
Theater / On-Demand
Signature Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes
On-demand through May 7