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All the right notes: The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is a delight in the current production of 'Jersey Boys' in D.C. |
By LUCIA ANDERSON
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
"Jersey Boys" is a razzle-dazzle, rockin' good time for anybody who has ever loved the music of the 1950s and '60s. It's easy to see why it captured the 2006 Tony Award for best musical.
The show traces the rise of Frankie Valli and the group eventually known as The Four Seasons--from their first release in 1956 through their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and beyond.
The musical numbers include all of their No. 1 hits--"Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)," "My Eyes Adored You," and "Rag Doll"--as well as "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and other chart favorites.
In its most productive period--the five-year time span between 1962 and 1967--the group had 16 songs that hit the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and all but two are in the show.
Writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice have strung the songs together in a way that highlights the narration by the individual singers, producing an engaging portrayal of the group's struggle for fame and fortune, the power shifts and tensions among band members and the toll all this took on their personal lives.
The touring company is well-served in its principals--Joseph Leo Bwarie as Frankie; Matt Bailey as Tommy DeVito, the group's early leader; Steve Gouveia as Nick Massi, the group's first vocal arranger; and Josh Franklin as Bob Gaudio, the composing genius who wrote most of the group's top hits.
Bailey, Gouveia and Franklin are great backup singers, as well as fine actors. But it's Bwarie's electrifying voice that carries the evening, just as Frankie's singing carried the group. To hear him take off on top of the other three is to be transported back to the age of bouffant hairdos and vinyl records.
Also worthy of note are Jonathan Hadley's camp portrayal of record producer Bob Crewe, and Joseph Siravo's barely leashed menace as Gyp DeCarlo, the Mob boss who comes to the boys' rescue when they get in over their heads.
At 2 hours, the show is a little bit longer than need be. Intermission is a tad late in arriving, and the second act sags as the group's effervescent early success bogs down in personal and financial problems. But overall, "Jersey Boys" offers its audiences a rousing good time and sends them out on a high.
Prospective theatergoers should note that Graham Fenton is scheduled to replace Bwarie for the Thursday and Friday matinees and Sunday evening performances during the run, as well as the Saturday matinees in October.
Lucia Anderson is a freelance writer living in Woodbridge.
| What: "Jersey Boys" Where: National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington When: Through Dec. 12 Cost: $51.50-$105.50 Info: nationaltheatre.org; 202/628-6161 |
