The Dark Side of Jolson

Hanan is ably backed by a tumultuous cast of supporting characters, all of whom are portrayed by a total of two gifted actors, Robert Ari and Garrett Long. Ari, who turned in fine work as the bewildered allergist in the Playhouse's The Tale of the Allergist's Wife earlier this season, here delivers nicely etched cameos -- the New York radio host, a vaudeville manager with a Southern drawl, and the nasty movie mogul Harry Cohn, among a flurry of others.

In yet another string of roles, Garrett Long shows an amazing array of talents. As Ruby Keeler she pulls off a dazzling tap-dance riff and nails Keeler's horsey, loping gait. Long lacks Mae West's zaftig physique but she gets all of West's mannerisms just right. Same with a self-effacing script girl and Jolson's confident last wife, Erle (who in real life died this past January).

The company is backed by a fine onstage musical quartet that manages considerable range and complexity for so small an ensemble, with Joe Brent a standout on violin, guitar, mandolin, and banjo. Director Jay Berkow accentuates the show's theatricality, nimbly shifting the storyline back and forth through time. He also makes good use of the Playhouse itself, an antique theater from the 1920s that has an old Broadway feel about it. James Morgan's simple, evocative set design, a series of red velvet swagged curtains and some rolling platforms, creates a visual ripple effect -- a stage set within a set within a set.