“a sensational tour de force performance by the multitalented Moritz” ”if you close your eyes, you can almost hear the Jolson sound …that’s how close Marc Moritz gets to becoming Al Jolson”

”Moritz flourishes as the complex, brash and egocentric Jolson, whose phenomenal success hid a lifetime of insecurity and neediness”

“A dream design team and Fred Sternfeld’s laser direction deliver a class act from start to finish”

“George Roth and Kristin Netzband do yeoman’s work portraying 17 characters drawn from Jolson’s tumultuous life” ”Netzband proves quite the hoofer in a tap-dance routine with Moritz” ”Excellent George Roth adds real definition to a variety of characters, beginning with radio host Barry Gray and including Jolson’s harsh Poppa, sibling rival Harry, and a smooth-talking Hollywood producer.”

”After Keeler, whose star is rising, dumps him, Jolson puts on blackface (the only time in the show), as if to hide his pain. As Moritz artfully applies the black makeup, he takes refuge behind the metamorphosis. He then launches into “My Mammy,” a song of heartbreak and loss, which brought down the house”

”Richard Gould’s rotating tripartite set creates the different scenarios in Jolson’s life from a recording studio and assorted dressing rooms to a Hollywood producer’s sumptuous poolside patio and army headquarters”

”Richard Ingraham’s sound effects, Trad A Burns’s lighting, and Aimee Kluiber’s panoply of costumes are spot on”

“The three-piece orchestra, under the reliable direction of Larry Goodpaster at keyboard, provides the perfect musical backdrop”

“There are enough “Yiddish” illusions to capture the older members who attend JCC productions and know and love Jolson”

“Mark Moritz, who plays Jolie, has a good singing voice … his sound is appealing”

“Kristin Netzband, as the female member of the three-person cast, is appealing in multi roles. She is especially delightful as Mae West and on-target as Ruby Keeler. She sings extremely well and her dancing is excellent”

“George Roth, as always, is on target in each of his characterizations. The Times Theatre Tribute Award winner changes voices and facial expressions and makes bodily adjustments to fit each of his nine characters”

“Larry Goodpaster and his three piece “orchestra” efficiently back up the performance”

“Capsule judgement: ‘JOLSON AND COMPANY’ will be a pleasant trip down memory lane for those who know and appreciate the musical sounds of Al Jolson”

Multitalented Marc Moritz, singer, actor, master teacher at Cleveland Improv Institute and lots more, wowed audiences last week with his fabulous performance as legendary singing star Al Jolson in JCC’s production of “Jolson & Company,” held at Tri-C’s Eastern Campus.

It was sheer enjoyment for this columnist who has followed Moritz’s career across stages in Chicago and New York City, in the JCC’s successful production of “Ragtime, the Musical,” to Riverside Shakespeare, to his appearance in numerous radio and TV commercials. It has been light years since Moritz was the appealing, eager young student in my class at Temple Emanu El. I well recall his bar mitzvah in 1969. Who could ever dream that this kid would someday star on stages around the country?

I caught up with Moritz after his luminous performance, and we reminisced a bit. His parents, Eleanor and Leon Moritz, still live in the same house in Lyndhurst where he grew up. Marc went to Brush High School before graduating from Kent State University with a major in theater.

He’s continuing his impressive career back in Cleveland with his wife Rachel Kay, a midwife, and their darling children Sarah, 7 (a student at Agnon School), and Joseph, 4, because “this great city is where we want to raise our children."

So Moritz and I embraced warmly once again as he said, dramatically, of course, “I’ll always remember Lady Violet Spevack as my biggest fan in Cleveland who has kept in touch with me through the years.” To which I responded, “Shouldn’t there be a song in this somewhere?”