By TR Robertson Photos by Ken Jacques
The San Diego Regional Premier of the Tony Award-Winning Best Musical, “Jersey Boys” had the sold-out audience, in The Center Theatre of the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Rock ‘n’ Rolling on Friday evening as CCAE Theatricals continued the presentation of this popular jukebox musical. Over thirty songs, most of them from the popular 60’s group The Four Seasons, filled the stage with tunes many in the audience remembered from their high school years and songs a new generation might have been hearing for the first time. The musical is said to resemble a documentary-style with some narration and explanation going along with what is acted out and sung onstage. Along with this design, the four key members of The Four Seasons each take part in the narration of different sections of the musical, covering their beginning, success and break-up of the talented singing group, in a Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter symbolic development.
The musical premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse at the University of California, San Diego, on October 5, 2004, and ran through January 16, 2005. It would open on Broadway on November 6, 2005, at the August Wilson Theatre and close on January 15, 2017, after an 11-year run on Broadway and 4,642 performances. The musical was designed from a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The idea for the book was pitched to Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio to create a show about the group’s history. Gaudio actually came up with the idea for the title of the musical. Brickman and Elice also interviewed the surviving group members Gaudio, Franki Valli and Tommy DeVito. Nick Massi passed away in December 2000. Gaudio also had the right to end the show after the initial premier if he didn’t like it. Thankfully he didn’t have to do this. The musical has music by Bob Gaudio with lyrics by Bob Crewe.
The musical takes you through the beginning of the group, their initial struggles, the numerous names the group had before settling on The Four Seasons, different members that sang in the group, the highs and lows of the group’s musical life and their personal lives, their break-up and what had happened to the group after their selection to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The Four Seasons had 13 top ten hits between 1962 and 1967, several at a time the Beatles were a worldwide success. The musical was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won the 2006 Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical and Best Lighting Design of a Musical. It also won two Drama Desk Awards and in 2007 won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
What is most amazing about this performance is that as you watch and listen to what is happening on stage you almost get lost in believing you are watching the real Four Seasons performing. The accents are about as “Jersey” as you can imagine, and the performances of the songs are absolutely wonderful. Nicholas Alexander’s performance as Frankie Valli is spot-on and he gave an iconic presentation as Valli, not missing a note on the memorable high-pitched songs Valli was famous for. Playing Tommy DeVito and making his professional and CCAE debut is Anthony Carro. Carro’s Jersey accent and his humorous presentation of DeVito is fun to watch. As Tommy, he occasionally narrates the opening portion of the musical describing the beginning and struggles the group first dealt with. Playing Nick Massi, the Four Seasons member who gets added to the group when Tommy’s brother goes to prison, is Noah Archibald. Nick will narrate the opening of Act II, talking about some of the conflicts the group had even after they had become famous. Nick Massi leaves the group later after a conflict and incident involving Tommy and his gambling problems. Playing Bob Gaudio, a song writer who wrote “Who Wears Short Shorts” and a number of the Four Seasons hits, is Taubert Nadalini. Gaudio will stay with the group later in their career, but as a writer not as a performer. Alexander, Carro, Archibald and Nadalini combine to present a magical performance as the Four Seasons. Not only is their harmony of the Four Seasons songs perfect; the dance routines, costumes and appearance take you back to the 60’s when groups like this dominated the radio and American Bandstand sounds and airways.
Additional performances by cast members portraying people that played significant roles surrounding the rise and fall of the Four Seasons include performers like Marlana Dunn who played Mary Delgado, Frankie Valli’s first wife. Valli’s daughter, Francine, would be born from this marriage and dies at age 22 from drug addiction. Maggie Ek played Francine. Playing the record producer/promoter Bob Crewe is Skylar Gaines. Gaines portrays Crewe as an overly excited, yet hard nosed man, who eventually gives the Four Seasons their first recording session which leads to their song, “Sherry”, as their first successful production. Following this are the productions of “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man” establishing the Four Seasons as the new kings of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Donovan Mendelovitz plays Joe Pesci, the excitable friend who originally introduced Bob Gaudio to Frankie Valli and Tommy DeVito. Lance Arthur Smith plays a mobster, Gyp DeCarlo, who helps bail several of the members of the Four Seasons out of various “jams” they find themselves in.
This is a fun, hand clapping and foot stomping musical with music provided by a 10-piece orchestra led by Music Director Lyndon Pugeda. Assisting Director T.J. Dawson are Scenic Designer Stephen Gifford, Costume Designer Adam Ramirez, Lighting Designer Jean-Yves Tessier, Projection Designer Jon Infante, Sound Designer Paul Durso, Hair & Wig Designer Peter Herman, Properties Coordinator Cecilia Cron, Costume Coordinator Janet Pitcher, Dialect Coach Caitlin Muelder, Stage Manager Julian Olive, Choreographer Dana Solimando, Assistant Director Bethany Slomka and Production Manager Terry Hanrahan and Aaron Rumley. The multi-level set design, two level apartment façade with stairs and fast paced set changes going at times from a club to a room in an apartment to a recording studio all add to the story line of the musical.
This is one of those musicals you do not want to miss when you have the opportunity to see it live on stage. “Jersey Boys” will be at the Center Theater at California Center for the Arts in Escondido until October 6th. For tickets go to www.theatricals.org or call 442-304-0500, Ext. 1.
