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Bob Goepfert Reviews "Jersey Boys" At Proctors Theatre

Jersey Boys

 SCHENECTADY – For those of you who are like me and tend to dismiss musicals in favor of dramas, the musical “Jersey Boys” playing at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady through Sunday is for you.

The show details the origins, success and the evolution of the famous musical group The Four Seasons.  It shows the journey of the group from The Four Seasons to become Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  That is also the journey of Frankie Valli.

The music is an extremely important element but it is dramatic story by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice is the engine that drives the show.   Indeed, it’s over a half hour into the show before you hear a familiar song.   

And, you don’t miss them.  Learning the backgrounds of the individual members of the quartet is so well presented it establishes a base to understand the later drama and tensions that plague the group

The plot is essentially the familiar boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl story.  Just substitute success for girl.   It’s all made stronger because “Jersey Boys” is also a rags to riches show.  Without music these guys, several of whom did time as youths, would be lucky to stay out of jail as adults.  

And, yes the hit songs of the group are included.   You hear renditions of “Sherry,” “Oh What a Night,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and many others.   Without doing a pure imitation the performers capture the essence of the legendary group.

What separates “Jersey Boys” from the typical jukebox musical is that the story is told from four different perspectives.   There is very little disagreement on what happened, but there are several different perspectives on why things happened.

This context helps give the music more depth because many songs are extensions of the drama playing out on stage.  For example, when just after he breaks up with his wife Valli sings “My Eyes Adored You,” there is a heightened emotional connection that is directly related to the scene before it.

Performances are excellent with Hayden Milanes as Frankie Valli.  He sings wonderful as he takes his character on a fascinating journey from uncertain kid to the moral leader of the group.

Nicolas Dromard finds the charm of the ego-driven Tommy DiVIto, the man who was responsible for their early success and the man who almost destroyed them. It’s nice work as Dromard helps us see why everyone trusted an untrustworthy man

Drew Seeley maintains a boyish quality as the songwriter and business genius Bob Gauda and Keith Hines plays Nick Massi is the quiet member with a sanitary fetish who leaves the group because he felt he was their Ringo.

Barry Anderson who plays Bob Crewe with a comic flamboyance leads a strong supporting cast, all of whom play multiple roles.

A star of the show is the staging which finds every dramatic nuance in the work and discovers new and clever ways of making the familiar look different.  

The story of “Jersey Boys” is as American as vaudeville because its lesson is that in entertainment you are only as good as your last hit.  At least until you had a dozen or more songs that become classics.   Then you become a legend.

“Jersey Boys” honors the legend of The Four Seasons, but it shows them as street kids who became famous but never lost their roots.  It’s good theater and good entertainment.

“Jersey Boys” Is at Proctors Theatre through Sunday. For tickets and information call 346-6204,  proctors.org

Bob Goepfert is the arts editor for the Troy Record.

 

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.