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Baltimore Sun

In Jersey Boys' isn't just another nostalgia fest

By ART SCENE Tim Smith - timsmith@baltsun.com
Baltimore Sun Reporter

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 Four Seasons 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.

"Jersey Boys" will continue through Dec. 12 at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington.