Saturday Matinee

Steve Gouveia, Jarrod Spector, Drew Gehling and Jeremy Kushnier

Warning: this is probably not going to be a typical review. I also have been putting off writing about the Chicago cast, currently playing at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, for the big reason that I know that I am completely biased. I have loved and enjoyed the Sherry cast, which was the first cast that I saw perform Jersey Boys, and getting to know them I know is coloring my perception. With this disclaimer, here it goes.

First off, it is well known that the show itself is a hit in every sense of the word. Meticulously and smartly written to a tee, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s writing ensures that audiences will be entertained, even if you didn’t grow up listening to the Four Seasons, such as myself. In addition to the writing, the energy packed music and dancing adds excitement that equals a live rock concert and makes Jersey Boys an exceptionally singular theatrical experience.

Jarrod Spector leads this talented cast playing Frankie Valli. His pitch perfect singing is always a joy to experience (especially for audiences with perfect pitch! It’s a rare but grateful experience), and I love when he plays with the rhythms in “Moody’s Mood for Love”. It adds so much to the musicality of a simple melody, and nobody sings that song as easily as he does. I am also happy to report that his intensity in his acting in the more dramatic scenes gets better and better – at initial glance a few months ago, he seemed too nice of a guy to play Frankie Valli. But there was a very brief moment – the moment when Frankie Valli grabs Lorraine’s hand as she’s leaving and begs desperately, “Go tomorrow” – that was absolutely heartbreaking, and spoke volumes about the acting involved in this scene.

The cast is rounded out by Jeremy Kushnier as Tommy DeVito, Drew Gehling as Bob Gaudio, and Michael Ingersoll as Nick Massi. My favorite is Michael Ingersoll, previously of the Sherry cast; he is excellent and hilarious and heartbreaking and touching as the guy who’s always overlooked. He makes the role bigger than some of the other Nick Massi’s that I’ve seen. Drew Gehling gives Bob Gaudio a charming and awkward lanky quality, while Jeremy Kushnier plays the intense bad boy Tommy Devito with flashes of self-deprecating humor.

The Jersey girls deserve a few words as well, which I often feel are the hardest working members in the cast, as well as the most overlooked. Jenny Lee Ramos is fantastic as Mary Delgado. Jennifer Naimo, who plays the same role on Broadway, has said good things about her, and when I watch Ramos, I can’t help feeling like this is what the original writers had meant the role of Mary Delgado to be – a tough cookie with a broken heart. She is also a beautiful singer as well, and I can picture her playing Mary Delgado on Broadway someday. Lauren Marshall also shines and simmers as Lorraine, Frankie Valli’s girlfriend.

Supporting cast also includes Craig Laurie, who plays the hilarious Bob Crewe. He is not only in the moment at every moment he is onstage, but genuinely seems to be having a great time. He also is very funny as the passenger in the car shooting scene, one of my favorite scenes in the show. His acting is so good that most of the audience probably doesn’t know that he is the same actor who plays Bob Crewe.

One thing that I’ve also enjoyed with this cast is getting to see the talent of the swings. Swings are actors that are hired to understudy often multiple roles, and have to face the difficulty of memorizing very different roles, and not getting to perform the role everyday and often very rarely (which can hinder memorization and character development). The swing that I have experienced most is John Hickman – I have seen him play three very different roles (Nick Massi, Gyp DeCarlo the mob boss, and Billy Dixon), and he brings something different to every role. Every time, I have been impressed with the breadth and specificity of his acting ability. He seems very comfortable in each role that I’ve seen him play, which must be hard to do as a swing. I’ve seen John Michael Coppola perform once as Joe Pesci, and thought he absolutely nailed it. The role of Joe Pesci is a finicky role, because it has to skirt the line of screwball humor, as well as fighting the urge to be too over-the-top (which Broadway performs very well, possibly in order to not offend the real Joe Pesci?). Coppola did it very well.

Another person worth mentioning: John Michael Dias, who plays the Frankie Valli twice a week. I have never had the desire to see an alternate in general, but Dias has changed that. For the lack of better wording, I love his portrayal of Frankie. His Frankie is very comfortable and natural, and his singing divine. I got chills the first time I heard his “Moody’s Mood for Love”, and the melody in “Fallen Angel” soars and takes flight – it’s so unique, which must be hard to do being the fifth Frankie (or so), and very moving.

I know that this review sounds like a big lovefest, but I’ve tried to be specific in my descriptions, and tried to leave out the negativity (after all, this isn’t a real review that you would read in a newspaper.) In all, Chicago is in for a treat when this cast moves there in October.

This cast plays at the Curran Theatre until September 30. Click here for more info.