Viola Catherine Ware
January 9, 2013
Arthur J. Bielkiewicz Jr.
January 15, 2013
While big dramas were unfolding on television screens and in newspaper headlines during the first half of the 1960s, smaller – but far more numerous – dramas played out in drive-ins, burger joints, schools and clubs.
The fight to desegregate schools, the triumphant victory and later tragic death of the nation’s youngest president, the international space race and ever-building tension and body counts in Vietnam were the big picture.
But being humiliated by a girl and telling her you would still walk like a man, the wooing of your best, favorite girl, the willingness to proclaim love to the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, those themes resonated in a way headlines did not. And the nerves they touched were real enough to make the falsetto-led vocals of a simple bunch of guys from New Jersey to reflect clearly on the pop charts.
The songs of the Four Seasons were for many baby-boomers the soundtrack of adolescent angst. In no way did tunes like “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Rag Doll,” “Ronnie” or” Dawn” define the decade. But those songs – marking the ubiquitous presence of the pop group Four Seasons on local radio hit parades across the nation – performed another important function.
They were portions of the personal soundtracks for millions. A unique falsetto sound, simple stories of love, loss and loyalty, the Four Seasons repertoire marked the social histories of boys and girls throughout the nation, and still have the ability to bring one back to a special time and place whether it was lived at the age of 7 or 19.
This is what the production of “Jersey Boys” at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts brings home to the audience in a big way. It does what theater is supposed to do at its best, which is to transport the audience into a special time and space with characters you want to care about, that you want to see come out on top.
If the energy and sincerity of the performances evident in this production hold out through its run, a lot of audiences will be in for a big treat.
The show tells the tale of Frankie Valli and the original Four Seasons, from their doo-wop street corner beginnings to members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Segments are seen from the perspective of each member in a string of vignettes that hold together well as a total storyline. It is a show that could, in the wrong hands, be little more than a musical revue. But the strength of Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s book removes any danger of that.
The show focuses on the personal, professional and sometimes downright petty issues that divide and sometimes unite the New Jersey quartet, at a time in history when the woman for whom this theater is named and so many others sacrificed so much in the name of sacred goals.
But in a perverse way, that is precisely this show’s charm. The performances and tiny touches in the production take us to the cusp of caring about Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito, some of whose names we might not have even known until now.
The singing, music and 60’s-stilted choreography is what takes us over the edge into a total buy-in, right to the point when the audience can’t help but stand and rhythmically clap along during the finale.
Brad Weinstock’s Frankie Valli is superb. He grows with his character through the span of years. And a little bit of lagniappe occurs when, after a drop-dead solo number key to the story – to which the audience pays ample homage – it is difficult to tell if the satisfied and grateful gleam in the eye belongs to Weinstock or the character he portrays.
Jason Kappus is an appealing Bob Gaudio, the musical mind behind the quartet. Brandon Andrus’ Nick Massi is a stalwart narrator and bad-boy, whose demons nearly derail the group’s early success. And Colby Foytick portrays Tommy DeVito with just the right dash of character acting to bring sorely needed comic relief to a story that comes dangerously close to pathos, but thankfully never goes to far over that edge.
Supporting performances by a seasoned cast put the icing on the cake in this production, where small parts are taken on by greatly talented and dedicated actors.
“Jersey Boys” provides a solid session of entertainment, though parents should be advised that there are salty words, jokes and situations that might wish them to think twice before bringing their youngest children.
The overall experience is summed up by one of the featured songs in the show and the timeline of the performers it portrays: “Oh What A Night.”
The production runs through Jan. 27. It begins at 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 2 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $55 to $110.
“Jersey Boys,” the tale of The Four Seasons, runs through Jan. 27 at Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.
