Jessica Martin will star in The Menier Chocolate Factory’s revival of Jerry Herman’s JERRY’S GIRLS.
The show will feature choreography by Matt Cole, set and costume design by Paul Farnsworth, lighting design by Philip Gladwell, musical supervision and arrangements by Sarah Travis, and an all-female band.
Hannah Chissick directs Cassidy Janson, Jessica Martin and Julie Yammanee. This new production opens at Menier Chocolate Factory on 22 May, with previews from 18 May, and plays a strictly limited season until 29 June.
You’re starring in Jerry’s Girls at Menier Chocolate Factory, what can you tell us about the show?
The show is a musical revue celebrating the best of Jerry Herman’s Broadway scores. Audiences will recognise songs from “Hello Dolly”, “Mame”, “Mack and Mabel” and “La Cage Aux Folles”.
It was first performed in 1984 on Broadway showcasing the talents of its three legendary stars Carol Channing, Leslie Uggams and Andrea McArdle. The original production also had a female ensemble but our production has three actors on stage throughout and an all female band.
What was it about Hannah Chissick’s production that made you want to be part of this revival?
Hannah Chissick is such an insightful and innovative director. What makes this a very exciting prospect for female musical theatre actors is that the songs will be underpinned by a narrative which explores the female gaze of an actress working circa 1950’s.
What might her challenges be depending on her status as an ingenue, mid-life or older performer? What stories does she have to tell? Whereas the original production forty years ago was very much a cabaret style entertainment celebrating Jerry’s shows, this production mines the songs to bring out new, surprising perspectives.
Why do you think Jerry Herman’s music remains so popular?
Jerry Herman knew how to write the epitome of a Broadway showtune with melodies you could hum and lyrics you could relate to. But the simplicity and optimistic tone of his songs belie a poetic wisdom that makes his work timeless.
In a lot of ways his work was ahead of his time despite the ‘vaudevillian’ style. His subject matter dealt with strong ambitious women slightly outside of society and he was the first mainstream composer to write a gay romantic musical. If ever there was the ‘best of times’ for Jerry, ‘it’s today’ … pardon the cheesy puns!
What are you looking forward to about working with Cassidy Janson and Julie Yammanee?
Cassidy Janson and Julie Yammanee are two of the most talented women in musical theatre. I worked with Cassidy a few years ago on a musical workshop and have watched her star rise to glittering heights. This is my first time working with Julie, but I know of her work. She, like Cassidy has a showstopping voice and the acting and dancing to match. Every day in the rehearsal room is a joy.
What are you most excited about performing at Menier Chocolate Factory?
This is my first time performing at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Every musical theatre actor dreams of performing here because of its incredible history of first class productions. The intimacy of the space means that you can really connect with the audience. The composer’s work is transmitted with a clarity that can be lost in a bigger theatre.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Jerry’s Girls?
We haven’t even talked about Sarah Travis’s musical direction and arrangements for this show. Sarah is an absolute genius. Audiences are going to hear Jerry Herman’s exciting music taken to a whole new level. Matt Cole who choreographed the award-winning “Newsies” is giving us stylish staging and there’s set and costumes by Paul Farnsworth. I’d want to see it even if I wasn’t in it!
