Jack's
Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac written by Patrick Fenton,
is directed by award winning audio dramatist Sue Zizza, and takes place
at the end of summer 1964. Based on a recording that was made in Kerouac's Northport,
Long Island living room, as he and his mother, Memere, pack to leave for St. Petersburg,
Florida - the place where he would finally end his many road journeys - this play
blends the reality of that last night with other moments in Kerouac's life to
create an image of an artist in transition.
On
this last night in New York, as Jack hosts a going away party for himself, he
thinks back to the America he saw, riding alongside Neal Cassady, as they drove
back and forth across the US. Throughout the beer-soaked night, Jack reflects
back on fame, the fame he tried unsuccessfully to hide from in Northport, and
a cultural shift taking place in America that has him worried that his time has
come and gone.
As
the memories play through his mind, Jack also receives a series of soul-searching
phone calls from his daughter, Jan, who is desperate to connect with the man she
believes is her father.
Scenes
from Jack's Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac
were recorded on location at Gunther's
Tap Room in Northport, NY - one of Jack's favorite haunts - and features
music by Composer David Amram, who scored the 1959 Jack Kerouac, Allen
Ginsberg, and Neal Cassady film "Pull My Daisy".
Now
You Can Listen Too!
Now
Playing on the Internet!
at
Jack's
Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac premiered April 2, 2008 on
PRX - the Public Radio Exchange a non-profit
web-based Digital distribution network dedicated to delivering diverse programming
of exceptional quality with one of the largest on-demand catalogs of public radio
programs available for broadcast and Internet use. Click
Here to start listening to Jack's
Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac at PRX!
What
People Are Saying About . . .
"This
play shows Jack at a difficult time in his life, and it does it with a rare understanding
of how he tried to deal with the dilemma of unwanted celebrity while finding a
way to continue pursuing his goals as an author. Fenton has created a moving portrait
of a unique artist, rather than another dreary "Beat" stereotype. Bravo!"
~
David Amram, Composer
"Playwright
Patrick Fenton based his script on recordings of Kerouac's final conversations
with friends [who he met] at Gunther's Bar in Northport. It's written with emotion
and such attention to detail that the monologues are reminiscent of a Kerouac
novel."
~
Andrea Paquin, The Lowell Sun
.
"Great
writing, excellent audio mix and effects...a superb piece of work."
~
Tom Lopez, ZBS Foundation
About
The Author
Patrick
Fenton and Larry Smith,
friend of JK at Gunther's Tap Room
Writer,
Author and Playwright, Patrick Fenton, the son of
Irish immigrants, was born in the Irish working-class tenements of Windsor Terrace,
Brooklyn on St Patrick's Day, 1941.
As
a writer, Fenton's stories and articles have appeared in numerous publications
including the New York Times, New York Newsday, New York Magazine
and The Daily News. As a noted Kerouac scholar, Fenton's stories, "The
Wizard of Ozone Park" and "Drinking
With Jack Kerouac in a Rockaway Bar" are eclectic bookend
perspectives of the great American author and his stories "Confessions
of a Working Stiff" and "Stoopdreamer
and Other Brooklyn Stories" a roadmap of his coming of age
as a NYC Irish-American blue-collar Joe.
As
a Playwright, Fenton's "Kerouac's
Last Call" is a poignant look at Jack Kerouasc's last
days in Newport, LI as he wrestled with his misconstrued career. Click
Here To Learn More About "Kerouac's
Last Call"
Jack's
Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac
has been made possible
by funding from Midsummer Sound
Company and the Beckerman Archives.
Special
thanks to Peter Gunther and Gunther's
Tap Room (Northport, NY) for on-location recording.
Thanks also
to David Amram for the
use of music in this production composed and performed by him.
Thanks
also to the ZBS Foundation.
To
Learn and See More about
Jack's
Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac
Be Sure
To Visit
www.jackslastcall.com
