After beginning performances January 6, Daniel J. Watts, who currently stars in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, concluded his engagement of The Jam: Only Child at the Public Theater’s Joe's Pub as part of the Under the Radar Festival January 20.
Described as an evening of music, dance, spoken word, and storytelling, The Jam pays homage to Watts’ great-grandmother who, after making jam from scratch, would share with others what she was unable to consume herself. The production was directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz (Anatomy of a Suicide) with Preston Dugger III a.k.a. DJ Duggz (Motown: the Musical, Memphis) spinning through the evening.
“This Jam is the product of years of therapy. I have an analogy about therapy suggesting that it’s like inviting a stranger to the attic of your mind and having them help you clean it out,” Watts said in a statement. “I realized that being an only child and a latch key kid in a single parent home contributed to excess storage in my attic and therapy helped me sift through a lot of it and, ultimately, let some things go. By sharing my story I hope to inspire others to go through their attics in an effort to both examine the cost of holding on and experience the healing power of letting go.”
