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60’s.
A trio from Jersey finds a new member in the person of Francesco Castelluccio
(Nyoy Volante), later more popularly known as the great Frankie Valli. His
unusually high falsetto makes him the de facto choice as lead singer of the ensemble,
whose current incarnation goes by the name of the Four Seasons. Tommy DeVito (Markki
Stroem) serves as the headstrong leader, getting them gigs left and right and
taking care of everything financial, regardless the cost. Nick Massi (Nino Alejandro) is the bass
player, that one fellow meant to be outshined by the rest, or
as he would like to put it: “the Ringo of the group.” With the original fourth bandmate
sent away to prison for petty crimes, the remaining three enlist the help of
Bob Gaudio (Christian Bautista), the one hit wonder from New York who will end
up writing most of their hits. The plot unfolds with each of them alternating in
the narration of their meteoric rise, as well as their eventual fall, with their
respective points of view and each season representing the band’s status at that
very moment.
My
knowledge of Frankie Valli’s discography is limited to My Eyes Adored You, so I
don’t really consider myself to have come to see the show because I belong to
his fandom. All I know of the storyline is that there are four men from Jersey
who banded together to form a group, perhaps a 60’s version of the Backstreet
Boys or something, even though the sound and style greatly differ. At the
crux of the musical is an autobiographical take on Valli’s life, a great
majority of which has been spent under the spotlight with his group, The Four
Seasons. You don’t have to be in a boyband to relate to what is happening,
really. In the end, it’s the typical showbiz story: that of perseverance,
success, and survival in general.
My
recollection of My Eyes Adored You in my head is rather tarnished by the many
cover versions that came after it, which is why I can’t remember if Valli’s
voice is indeed THAT high as Volante makes it sound. In this case, it is better
to trust audience impact, especially if that very audience is predominantly
made up of elders who grew up during that period. Based on the enthusiastic round
of applause coming from the crowd every time a song number is concluded, it should
be enough proof that the portrayal must have been spot-on. Add the harmony of
four distinct voices crooning together and what you get is a night full of
wonderful music. Music in the 60’s just had this unique appeal definitive of a
bygone era. Experiencing it in an intimate venue is a good way of reliving a
musical epoch you never had the chance of getting to know, unfortunately.
Stroem
has gone a long way since his reality show beginnings. As the cocky DeVito, he
embodies the archetypal boyband prick, the destructive one that drags the
group down as easily as he raised them up. His accent is consistent, and his
singing is not bad at all, although that’s a non-issue when you are performing
next to a believable onstage incarnation of Frankie Valli. This is why it is
important that he stands out by virtue of his acting, in which he succeeds. The
same can be said of Bautista, although his is more of the other way around. His
voice is not as distinct as that of Volante, but powerful enough not to be
drowned in the background. His accent is a little bit dodgy but tolerable, and
he seems more comfortable onstage now than he was back then, circa West Side
Story. Alejandro offers a convincing portrayal of the unappreciated bandmate, which is
ironic because both actor and character ended up suffering the same fate. But
then again, they are not the stars of the show, and they are totally aware of
that.
Unlike
other musicals tackling popular groups and their songs such as Mamma Mia, Jersey
Boys differs because of the autobiographical aspect. We witness the band’s
formation, their ups and downs, their trip to the top, as well as their subsequent
parting. Because of this, most of the songs are not performed as imagined
scenarios, a la Chicago, for instance. Here, they sing because they are
performing onstage. They perform because they are having a concert, or guesting
on a TV show live. The experience feels like a musical mockumentary of
sorts, with the drama amped up a bit to give it the necessary emotional punch,
yet still managing to retain a concert-like quality that you'd definitely
enjoy.
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