‘JERSEY BOYS’ ISN’T JUST ANOTHER NOSTALGIA FEST
By Tim Smith | tim.smith@baltsun.com

Baltimore Sun
October 6, 2009

You don’t need to be a fan of the Four Seasons to like the musical

In the crowded field of great American pop acts from the 1960s and
’70s, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons may not rank at the top in
profound artistic quality, but certainly in high notes and – as it
turns out – in back story.

"Jersey Boys," the Tony Award-winning musical that has settled into the
National Theatre for a 10-week run, tells that tale with a disarming
energy, and a whole lot of songs. Although there are moments when you
may expect an announcer to stop the action and solicit donations to
your local PBS station, this isn’t just a nostalgia feast engineered
to unleash fuzzy feelings in people of a certain age.

Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the affectionate, but
unsentimental, show effectively mingles enough biography to produce
genuine and interesting characters onstage. The dialogue rings true,
for the most part, and is often quite funny (a sign in the lobby
warns patrons that "strobe lighting, loud gunfire and authentic,
profane Jersey vocabulary" are used in the show).

Events flash by at quite an entertaining clip – blue-collar Jersey
dives, mobsters, girls, cars, dreams, setbacks, different names
for the group – in between bursts of music. (The pacing suggests a
sensitivity to those with short attention spans.)

Director Des McAnuff has the action flowing in well-oiled fashion
through Klara Zieglerova’s sleek set design, with its metal platforms
and a few props, accented by Michael Clark’s nifty projections. And
the cast achieves a level of ensemble as tight as the Four Seasons’
harmonies.

Joseph Leo Bwarie, who looks rather like Sal Mineo, is quite the
charmer as Frankie Valli, moving in telling detail from shy teen to
confident lead singer. He’s also a classy singer who actually outshines
the original. When it comes to reproducing the falsetto-fueled sound
that gave the its trademark, Bwarie manages to maintain admirable
pitch and tone quality. (Oddly, the show never illustrates how or
why Valli developed an affinity for the vocal stratosphere.)

Matt Bailey brings an easy swagger to the role of the "not properly
socialized" Tommy DeVito, the guy who turned out to be very good and
very bad for the Four Seasons. Steve Gouveia proves quite affecting as
Nick Massi, the kinder, gentler band member, and Josh Franklin offers a
vibrant performance as Bob Gaudio, the guy with the ear and the songs.

The polished supporting cast includes Jonathan Hadley in a delectable
performance as Bob Crewe, the Brian Epstein type (with a touch of
Paul Lynde) in the Four Seasons’ road-to-fame saga.

Structurally, "Jersey Boys" is a bit off-kilter. After the long-ish,
rapid-fire first act, with its zillion incidents, a sudden interest
in more textured, darker plot development arises in the second. (Here
and there, Four Seasons hits are neatly employed in the service of
that plot.) It’s only a short while, though, before the sound-bite
pacing resumes, and the feel-good elements in the story sweep the
audience back up in a golden-oldie frenzy.

As one who’s inclined to hit the scan button if one of their songs
comes on the radio, I can vouch for the fact that you don’t have to be
much of a Four Seasons fan to find "Jersey Boys" engaging. Ultimately,
it’s a refreshing variation on the old theme of taking a chance,
finding your own way, making mistakes, making amends, and, of course,
hanging on to what you’ve got.

Offbeat concerts If it’s from Mobtown Modern, it’s going to be
offbeat, and this week’s concert is no exception. The emphasis is on
low notes, specifically those created by baritone and bass saxophones
and bass clarinet. Saxophonist Brian Sacawa and clarinetist Jennifer
Everhart will be featured in a program of works by David Langfor,
Gerard Griseyfor, Michael Lowenstern, Giacinto Scelsi, and Lee Hylafor.

The concert is at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Metro Gallery, 1700
N. Charles St. Tickets are $5 an door. For more information, go to
mobtownmodern.com.

And over at An die Musik, there will be a concert of music from the
1920s by the Greek-Armenian spiritual figure G. I. Gurdjieff, whose
teachings won him many followers and his share of skeptics. Musical
works he wrote in collaboration with Russian composer and pianist
Thomas de Hartmann will be performed by alto Nancy Caporaso and
pianist Michael Dale at 8 p.m. Thursday at An die Musik, 409 N. Charles
St. Tickets are $10. Call 410-385-2638.

If you go "Jersey Boys" will continue through Dec. 12 at the National
Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington. Tickets are $51.50
to $111.50. Call 800-447-7400 or go to telecharge.com.

Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun