The Jamal Lullabies
presented by Emily Conbere and East River Commedia
Showtimes
Mon., Aug. 4 @ 7:00 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 5 @ 8:30 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 6 @ 5:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 8 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 10 @ 1:00 p.m.
Show details
Venue: Southern Theater
Duration: 60 minutes
For ages 13+
Written by Emily Conbere
From: Brooklyn, NY
Website: www.eastriver.org
Genres: Musical theatre, Political
Warnings: Adult language
Overall rating
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User reviews
You better see this show -- now.
by Clay Chapman Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Okay. It's late in the game -- but all you people still looking for the diamond in the rough, well, I found it for you. Here it is: The Jamal Lullabies. Thank me later. Just see the darn thing. Don't be left out. You'll be the one's missing out, frankly.
How rare is it to see a show in the fringe that provides -- A) a technically mastered performance from every single member of its cast B) content that scares you with its bold choice in not taking a stance on political correctness of any kind and C) ample amount of opportunities to laugh your ass off only to second guess whether it was appropriate to laugh at all... Believe me, it is.
The less you know about this show walking into it -- the better. Rest assured, you will not see anything like it. Just see it already.
You must see this show!
by Dawn Krosnowski Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I was taken to this show by a friend that wouldn't stop talking about how this production was one of the most under-appreciated productions of this year's Fringe. I am thankful that I went!
This show was poignant, funny and deliciously performed vocally.
At one point I actually had tears in my eyes because the music was so well done. It was a joy to hear.
If you only have one punch left in your ticket pass, use it on this show. You will not be disappointed.
Kept laughing long after the end
by Reid Knuttila Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The beauty of their singing took my breath away right from the opening. It was beautiful, with an undercurrent of absurdity. Just a few minutes before the show ended it felt as if something in my head had finally snapped, and I was giggling through the last song and for many minutes after leaving the theater. I can't remember when a show did that to me.
I don't think any description does the show justice. Just see it, let it soak in, and see what happens.
The singing alone was worth it.
by Erica Mauter Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I was wavering on this show and finally attended based on Bill Stiteler's recommendation. SO glad I did.
I was not expecting a show about a memorial to a drug dealer named Jamal Slims Hall to be performed by four white women. But I got over that pretty quickly.
The thing that really blew me away: The singing is excellent. Tight four-part harmonies (I'm in a choir, I dig that kind of stuff). And it really is funny. And touching, too.
I was totally engaged throughout the entire show, and that has only happened a handful of times so far this Fringe. I've had "We are the Jamal Girls" in my head ever since.
Power and Beauty
by David Mann Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This is a gorgeous show about pain, beauty, race, and sex. It absolutely cannot be defined simply. Emily Conbere's words are stunning and clever, always illuminating a corner of reality you never knew existed. The singers are superb, perfectly enmeshed in harmony, giving spirit and energy to this subtle and complex script. Go see this show. It's not like anything else you'll see.
Beautiful, intelligent and risky
by Cheryl Hulting Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Please let me urge those of you who haven't seen "The Jamal Lullabies" to see it as soon as you can (two shows left!). This is a hauntingly beautiful and unusual show that really takes a risk with its subject matter and approach.
Emily Conbere's four young white women, singing in quartet harmony, describe their individual experiences with Jamal Slims Hall, a young black drug dealer killed at a party before their eyes. The intelligently ironic script manages to underscore some similarities in the womens' experiences with Jamal, while at the same time underlining the difficulties - and perhaps almost impossibility - of ever truly understanding someone else's lived life. The script and score question how much the women themselves have gained in self-awareness or even in knowledge of the true nature of their relationships with Jamal.
This is definitely not a show constrained by slavish political correctness from asking difficult questions about the blinders erected by race and privilege and by youth love and sex. The show manages to be funny, shocking and disturbing all at once.
The musical arrangements are subtly rich, and the decision to present the lyrics with simple guitar accompaniment or a capella greatly feeds both the humor and poignancy of these stories. The singers are superb, working tightly together with voices rising into the delicious acoustics of the Southern Theater. My sole constructive point would be to suggest that the "speaking" voices of the individual young storytellers be made perhaps a little more distinctive, and hope that the script might develop in that direction. But in a show with so many virtues, this point seems almost to be quibbling.
Like Erica, I too was totally engaged while watching this performance. "The Jamal Lullabies" is one of the few shows in this year's Festival that has truly stayed with me after seeing it and encouraged me to think more extensively about the issues it raises.
Please don't miss it - it's truly unique and well worth seeing in your remaining Fringe hours.
crude lamentation
by Crummy Reviewer Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Like a glee club from Wellesley, a bunch of angel voiced young women croon over the body of the no good bang banger who shagged them.
Very obtuse concept and beautiful delivery. THe type of stuff your rarely see at the Fringe anymore. LIke Richard Maxwell... whose work the NYTimes has described as "an hilarious and trenchant looks at American passivity" this show will delight and anger.
See this show. It's a rare opportunity.
Wow. Just... wow.
by david kapell Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This show blew me away. An amazingly adept handling of a potentially controversial theme. The Jamal Lullabies is everything the Fringe aspires to be. Bravo, Emily and cast!
Subtle and funny
by Bill Stiteler Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
It took me a few minutes to catch on to the idea that the Jamal Lullabies is not only funny, but it one of the most subversive and subtle shows in the Fringe. Four elegant women (portraying, I came to assume, high school girls) sing in absolutely beautiful choral arrangements about Jamal, a man who completely played them--a fact of which they are completely oblivious. There are moments of great poignancy in what may be one of the greatest displays of subtlety in the Fringe I've ever seen. Either that, or I'm a big jerk. Both ideas occurred to me. But there are too many great, understated comedic lines in Jamal Lullabies.
Pretty Awesome
by Lucci Baregi Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Jamal Slims Hall baby, I wrote you a song...
And all of them are beautiful! The songs, that is. And the girls. I can't stop singing the songs from the show - the lyrics are silly and creative and moving and the melodies and harmonies are freaking awesome. I would see this show again!!
Beautiful, melodic and darkly funny
by Eli Bolin Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Jamal Lullabies is a very unusual and lovely song cycle, and is it powerfully performed and sung by the cast, with only a guitar for (occasional) accompaniment. At turns folky and operatic, the score is rich and varied, and the show is almost morbidly funny at times. Well, well worth seeing!
sweet singing
by Pam Clifford Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
What's the genre? A funny/sad story that unfolds through the efforts of four fabulous vocalists. A gem.
recommended
by Fringe Fan Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This show was funny, sad, and oddly inspirational. Clever writing and beautiful singing.
great show!!!
by tom reuland Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
this show is definitely worth seeing. great arrangements with a story to back it up.
