July 10, 2010

Jersey Boys Dazzles Des Moines!

July 10th, 2010

Sophia Ahmad raves about the JERSEY BOYS national tour in Des Moines! Here’s a preview:

Near the end of the first half, “Jersey Boys” actors portraying The Four Seasons dance with their backs to the audience. Singing at the top of their lungs, the quartet is greeted with wild cheers and applause at an imaginery stadium concert. Massive, blinding lights glare out into the Civic Center crowd (which for a moment is backstage), making it uncomfortable to look forward and nearly impossible to see clearly.

At that moment, the audience had a glimpse into the bright lights, fame and sensationalism that surrounded the ’60s rock band The Four Seasons.

The jukebox musical works so well because aside from the 34 songs woven throughout, the plot is straightforward and stand-alone. We soon find out that Frankie Valli, played by Joseph Leo Bwarie, is the most impressionable one of the bunch. He is lured into the ensemble by Tommy DeVito, played by Matt Bailey, the smooth-talking Italian-American with a hankering for “b and e” (breaking and entering) and mob connections. Valli’s vulnerability, DeVito’s bad-boy attitude, the businness sense of songwriter Bob Gaudio (played by Ryan Jesse) and comic relief of Nick Massi (played by Steve Gouveia) make the interactions interesting and the action dynamic. Jersey (Joisey) accents and stereotypes round out the entertainment, and the presence of four-letter words in nearly every scene keeps things, well, authentic.

Visit DesMoinesRegister.com to read the full review.

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