[NEohioPAL] Review of "Jersey Boys" at PlayhouseSquare

[Bob Abelman]

The 'Jersey Boys' returns without missing a downbeat

 

Bob Abelman

 

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times,

The Morning Journal, Geauga Times Courier

Member, American Theatre Critics Association 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald 7/1/11

 

 

The most obvious indicator that the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys is worthy of that honor is the unusual applause it generates.  

 

So effective is the illusion of experiencing the actual, 1960's version of The Four Seasons-the New Jersey-based boy band that dominated the airwaves with its distinctive three-octave doo-wop harmonies-that each musical number is met by two waves of ovation.  

 

The first is the polite appreciation given to any good theatrical performance.  Just as the applause tapers, however, a second wave organically ascends-a louder, longer and more raucous aftershock-as if the audience is paying homage to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers themselves and not the actors playing them.  

 

It could be heard during the show's first visit to PlayhouseSquare three years ago and it can be heard now, during the show's return engagement.  

 

This isn't just the response of an older generation reclaiming its birthright. And it isn't just that inner-teen bursting through decades of adulthood-induced hibernation for one last hurrah in the safe company of like-minded peers.  This is the result of a carefully orchestrated, well honed piece of musical theater that taps and masterfully replicates that birthright, jolts that inner-teen awake and to the forefront, and then pushes all the right buttons at all the right times.  

 

This sweet manipulation starts before the house lights go down, with the sound of that slow, pulsating drum beat that drives the music that defined The Four Seasons' sound.  That beat exists in their cache of Top-10 hits. none of which are heard until well into the first act.  The audience is given a taste to stimulate the senses, and no more.  

 

The Four Seasons performed standards created by other artists long before hitting their stride.  Consequently, the show's narrative builds a dramatic tension in anticipation of that first hit song being performed.  The tension, and the emotional release that occurs upon hearing "Sherry," is beautifully maneuvered by director Des McAnuff, who won a Tony Award for bringing the rock opera The Who's Tommy to Broadway in 1993.  The guy knows how to rouse a crowd into a good lather.

 

What really wins over the audience is that all the music is integrated into an intriguing, warts-and-all bio-narrative of the band's rags to riches to rags to riches story, as told from the often contradictory perspectives of each of the four band members.  The narrative, written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, is fluid, fast-paced, and often very funny.   

 

Of course, all jukebox musicals are only as good as the popular music that drives them.  Thirty-four songs-including most the band's most popular hits-are performed, in part or in their entirety, with live instrumentation and phenomenal backup orchestration under the direction of Ron Melrose.  Presented as nightclub acts, studio recording sessions, TV performances and in concert, the distinctive Four Season's sound-from front man Frankie Valli's falsetto lead vocals to the group's melodic harmonies-is resurrected in our presence.    

 

The show's most powerful impression is made by the actors portraying the Four Seasons.  Joseph Leo Bwarie as Frankie Valli, Matt Bailey as the group's bad-boy organizer Tommy DeVito, Quinn VanAntwerps as songwriter Bob Gaudio, and Steve Gouveia as bass player Nick Massi are personable, completely engaging and thoroughly convincing.

 

Both the phenomenal Bwarie and Gouveia return from the 2008 engagement, although all four performers have appeared in other Jersey Boy productions.  Their experience shows, for they capture the spirit and street smarts of each band member without resorting to impersonations. Their Jersey accents are dead-on as well.  The boys are backed up by a very talented and highly versatile ensemble cast.

 

The show's production values also play with the audience's emotions, and do so from the get-go.  Upon entering the State Theatre, an open stage reveals nothing but a two-story track of scaffolding.  When the house lights fade, this barren stage explodes with non-stop action.  Set pieces fly on and off the stage, controlled by stealth technology.  The top-shelf lighting, sound, costuming and use of large screen projections make for a fast-paced, technically seamless, highly entertaining production.    

 

The real Frankie Valli, now 77 years old, and a quartet of backup singers born decades after the Four Seasons broke up, will be coming to the Cleveland in December.  Frankly, Jersey Boys will be a hard act to follow.  

 

Jersey Boys continues through July 17 at PlayhouseSquare's State Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $35 to $130, visit www.playhousesquare.com.
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