JAY JOHNSON: THE TWO AND ONLY
Written and performed by JAY JOHNSON
Conceived by JAY JOHNSON/MURPHY CROSS/PAUL KREPPEL
Directed by MURPHY CROSS & PAUL KREPPEL
Scenery by BEOWULF BORITT
Lighting by CLIFTON TAYLOR
Sound by DAVID GOTWALD
Original Music by MICHAEL ANDREAS
Production Management: ROBERT G. MAHON III/JEFF WILD
Production Stage Manager: LORI ANN ZEPP
Marketing: HHC MARKETING
Press Representation: O&M/ORIGLIO/MIRAMONTEZ CO.
Associate Producer: JAMIE deROY
HELEN HAYES THEATRE
240 West 44th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue)
September 28 - November 26, 2006
A chubby-cheeked puppet named Squeaky, the sassy alter-ego, Bob, of SOAP fame,
and a manic monkey named Darwin are but a few of the creative characters brought
to glorious life in the charming JAY JOHNSON: THE TWO AND ONLY. Part
history of the evolution of ventriloquism, part straight-on performance, and
part nostalgic journey, the result is an often hilarious experience.
Set on a stage strewn with trunks, boxes and other containers, many which hold
the puppets that performer Johnson will use during the show, JAY JOHNSON: THE
TWO AND ONLY transforms the space into the often magical world that a gifted
ventriloquist like Johnson can create. Seamlessly moving from one scene to
another, employing different aspects of his talents as he goes, including
throwing in a couple of songs the show is strong and fluid, avoiding any of the
underlying creepiness that one fears a show about ventriloquism can evoke.
So go see JAY JOHNSON: THE TWO AND ONLY. You’ll fall in love with a snake
within the first three minutes, learn more about ventriloquism than you ever
thought you wanted to know, laugh along with the “wooden Americans,” and just
plain have a ball. This one is definitely a winner!
-Kessa De Santis/Laurie Lawson-