Panto star Allan Stewart has hinted that he could yet “blacken up” in his new musical about the life of entertainer Al Jolson.
Stewart is playing the lead role of American Al Jolson, an entertainer who is best-known for starring in the first “talking picture”.
The musical made headlines last week after it was reported in a national newspaper that a scene where Stewart wears black make-up was dropped so as not to cause offence.
But now Stewart has suggested that he may yet go back on the decision when the show gets underway at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh on Friday.
He said: “I thought we should black up because it was part of his life. He did that, so it was fine.
“But the producer said ‘look, if you don’t black up then nobody can have a go and have any kind of controversy whatsoever.’ So we decided not to do it.”
“Then when we finished up and we told the Scotsman I wasn’t going to black up, we got every national newspaper, we got radio, we got television, everybody all saying ‘you’re being a bit silly you should do it’.
“But if we’d gone the other way I don’t know what would of happened. If people want to write in and say what they think we should do. Maybe we’ll listen to the public.”
Stewart has already performed as Jolson wearing the black make-up when he starred in a London version of the musical.
He added: “He really was the Michael Jackson of his time or the Elvis of his time. There was nobody bigger than him. Highest paid entertainer on broadway.
“He was the greatest entertainer in the world of his time.”
Jolson played the real role in The Jazz Singer from 1927, which launched the beginning of a remarkable career which led the actor to be described as “the world’s greatest entertainer”.
