Jay Johnson: The Two and Only! to Play CA Before Broadway
In Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!, Johnson best known for playing Chuck, a nice man who was always with his nasty wooden counterpart Bob, on the sitcom Soap deconstructs and demonstrates his lifelong obsession with ventriloquism. Through the illusion of ventriloquism and his diverse array of characters, Johnson takes the audience on his autobiographical tale. Bob is featured in the show, as are many other characters.
The show, directed by Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel, opened at off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater on May 13, 2004. A revised version was presented at Los Angeles' Brentwood Theater in Los Angeles from January 20 to February 19 of this year. Steven Oxman of Variety wrote of that mounting: "What most charms is the feeling that Johnson… really was born to pursue this strange vocation, and that his puppets seem to bring him fully to life even more than the other way around… While fairly well-crafted, the biographical monologues -- with a focus on Johnson's relationship with his mentor, Arthur Sieving--remain a means of piecing together the stars of the evening, the characters who reside in all those suitcases."
Jay Johnson: The Two and Only! was originally scheduled to begin performances at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre on March 21. However, the show's start on the Great White Way was delayed until fall when the Helen Hayes' current tenant, Bridge & Tunnel extended its run at the space.