JERSEY BOYS – Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; Music by Bob Gaudio; Lyrics by Bob Crewe; Direction and Choregraphy by Matthew Dailey; Music Direction by Alex Burse. Produced by Town Hall Arts Center (2450 Main Street, Littleton) through October 6. Tickets available at 303-794-2787 or townhallartscenter.com.
Sometimes serendipity steps in and puts the right people in the right place at the right time. While the national tour of this musical history of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons was ongoing, local theatres were shut out from performing it. However, one of the lead players in that national tour just happened to come from Denver and just happened to choose to come home instead of hanging around New York after the tour. He just happened to have friends at Town Hall who knew his history and his killer skills as a performer at the time they were hoping to add this script/songbook to their season. Matt Dailey has come home in a big way. His understanding and intimate knowledge of the moves and music of this piece have lent a special air of authenticity to the production. Its dance steps are as sharp as the pleat in the singer’s slacks while the music matches note for note the original singers.
One of the best jukebox musicals, this production is an homage to this music which lives in the DNA of everyone who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. What makes it different and more appealing is the story line which doesn’t sugarcoat their rise to fame. The story is told – the search for a name, the in-fighting, the life on the road with its temptations and frustrations, the mafia connection, the money problems – as well as the triumphant concerts and record deals. Warts and all, book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice tell the story as it was lived. Because it seems to be telling the truth, it allows the audience to root all the harder for their success. A sigh of recognition and murmurs of joy escape the audience as each new “favorite” song arrives.
Let me explain the difference between an understudy and a swing in the world of the musical. An understudy is an extra hire who learns a part in case the person doing that part gets sick or can’t go on for some reason. They learn the music, the dance steps, and the blocking – knowing they may never have to go on. A swing is performing in the production in a part originally assigned to him or her but takes on the task of learning not only his or her part but also additional roles in case they are needed. They may end up never having to perform those additional roles – just their own assigned place in the ensemble. But in a role as demanding as Frankie Valli who sings in 28 songs, several being solos, and rarely leaves the stage during the evening, you can only imagine the difficulty of maintaining that stress on your vocal cords for the duration of the run. The swing for this production becomes incredibly important to give the lead actor’s voice a break. I happened to attend the night that the swing, Logan Traver, was scheduled to replace Jake Bell who normally sings the role of Frankie. But I didn’t learn that until after the production. Then I was amazed and proud of Logan for having learned his own roles of Joe Pesci and backup roles in the ensemble as well as the music and dance steps for Frankie. How scary that must have been to sing the difficult role for the first time in front of a full house. You done good, Logan.
Everyone done good. The energy in this production would be hard to match. The story moves along quickly, interspersed with the familiar music all the way through. The other Four Season members, Brandon Jesus Lopez as Nick Massi, who definitely (despite his real name) looks like he came off the mean streets of New Jersey; Caleb Wenger as Bob Gaudio, the songwriter; and Elton J. Tanega as the black sheep of the group, Tommy DeVito, all perfected the slick tight moves of the quartet as well as the incredible harmonies we’ve all grown to know. The girls who played wives and backup singers added their own little bounce of joy to the production: Hazel Kachline, Jenny Weiss, and Piper Lindsay Arpan excel. Carter Edward Smith filled in for Logan in the ensemble pieces and as Joe Pesci (Joey Fish to the boys) with the ease of an experienced performer. It’s always so enjoyable to see Scott McLean back on stage at Town Hall, this time as Bob Crewe, a hard-nosed producer integral to the Four Seasons success. All in all, the ensemble work was a joy to behold.
The set with the on-stage seven-piece band, under the direction of Alex Burse, kept the music flowing. They were seated on a set that gave the initial impression of a dive bar but ended up giving levels and space for all the work needed to bring this script to life. The costumes designed by Linda Morken were authentic and stunning. Curt Behm as Sound Designer did his normal terrific job in keeping the balance between the singers and the band.
This is an especially joyful evening of song for those of us over forty but equally in a different way for those younger than forty. We old guys feel sorry for you that you didn’t have this music as the background of significant firsts in your lives as teenagers. Too bad.
A WOW factor of 8.75!!