Jersey Boys Rocks

HARTFORD — Oh what a show. First rate, unforgettable music, and lots of it, combined with a rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story about a time in the 1950s when men were men, especially if they were Italian, and the only options to get out of poverty in inner-city New Jersey were either crime or singing, or in the case of the “Jersey Boys,” both.
“Jersey Boys” the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, won a well-deserved Tony for best musical in 2006. In this production at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts running through Feb. 22, some of the actors are from the original Broadway cast, and it shows.
How many songs are there where all you have to do is say the title and you know the song? No matter how old you are or what your taste in music is, if you have been on this earth for at least a few decades chances are pretty good that you have heard “Sherrie,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Oh, What a Night,” Walk Like a Man,” “My Eyes Adore You,” “Working My Way Back to You,” “Let’s Hang on to What We’ve Got,” which are only a few of the many songs, most written by Four Season member Bob Gaudio, and performed in “Jersey Boys.”
It isn’t just the songs though, along with terrific choreography by Sergio Trujillo, and the plethora of period-perfect costumes by Jess Goldstein, that make this show so absolutely fabulous. It’s also how the songs are woven into the story of how three working class New Jersey boys who team up with a fourth from out west, found a sound and created a phenomenon, with their trials and tribulations along the way.
Let’s face it — No matter how talented a group is, after a while watching four guys singing song after song, no matter how varied their costumes are, can get a little old. But that is never a problem here. Almost every song had a different angle, including the scene when the group was on American Bandstand and the cameras videoed them in black and white and superimposed their singing onto a big screen, with archival footage of teens screaming on companion screens.
They did it a second time when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Super idea, especially for a large venue like the Bushnell, giving those audience members sitting far back to get a better look at the characters.
Also innovative and effective was when they turned the stage around and made it feel like the audience was at the back of the stage. Huge, whiteout spotlights focused on the group and spilled onto the real audience — lending a vicarious sensation of what it must be like to be literally in the spotlight of a huge venue.
The show started off with a strange rap song — the idea, to show that the Four Season’s music is still relevant today, but it wasn’t that good.
Joseph Leo Bwarie is an awesome talent. Not only looks like the diminutive Frankie Valli, who we learn changed his name from Castelluccio, but he sings like an angel, and even better, sounds just like Valli. Three of the original members, including Valli, are still alive, according to the show.
That fact is amazing in one instance in particular, considering that Tommy DeVito, the founding member of the group and one bad boy, played by the fine Matt Bailey, was heavily into gambling, drinking, and petty theft — putting him and his fellow group members in and out of jail and into deep financial debt.
Josh Franklin couldn’t be better cast as the young singer songwriter from out west who joins the trio and writes the music that Frankie and the group sing — a musical marriage that the world would be much poorer for without.
Steve Gouveia who was in the original cast and also on Broadway as the fourth member, Nick Massi, acted the part as the “Ringo” of the group well. When harmonizing with the others, he was excellent, but when heard alone, his voice was notably weaker than the others.
You can often tell the quality of the show not only by the leads, but also by how deep the bench goes. With that litmus test in mind, “Jersey Boys” supporting cast, including Joseph Siravo as Gyp DeCarlo, Renee Marino as Mary Delgado, Jonathan Hadley as Bob Crewe, and Courtier Simmons as Joe Pesci (yes that Joe Pesci) are all top notch.
If you can get through this show without a smile on your face or feeling joy in your heart, you may want to check to make sure you still have a pulse.
Seriously, if there is only one show you go to see this year, make it “Jersey Boys.” You will not be disappointed, and could end up besotted by this remarkably talented group.

JERSEY BOYS
4 Stars
Theater: The William H. Mortensen Hall at the Bushnell Memorial Center
Location: 166 Capitol Ave. Hartford
Production: Directed by Des McAnuff. Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe. Scenic design by Klara Zieglerova. Costume design by Jess Goldstein. Lighting design by Howell Binkley. Sound design by Steven Canyon Kennedy. Choreography by Sergio Trujillo.
Running time: 2 1/2 hours, with one 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinee performances Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., through Feb. 22.
Tickets: Start at $25. Call 860-987-5900 or visit their website at www.bushnell.org. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Joseph Leo Bwarie … Frankie Valli
Matt Bailey … Tommy DeVito
Josh Franklin … Bob Gaudio
Steve Gouveia … Nick Massi
Jonathan Hadley … Bob Crewe and others
Courter Simmons … Joey and others
Joseph Siravo … Gyp DeCarol and others
Renee Marino … Mary Delgado, Angel and others