Songs Between the Hits Make ‘Jersey Boys’ a Musical Wonder
By Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
Jul. 26–DALLAS — In the musical Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, performances of that group’s biggest hits — Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry, Walk Like a Man, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You — are the biggest crowd-pleasers.
But what makes this show, the 2006 Best Musical Tony winner that opened in Dallas on Friday, really take off are the other songs. It makes for one remarkably well-put-together bio-musical.
Take the moment when Frankie (Joseph Leo Bwarie) sings My Eyes Adored You as the script dramatizes his breakup with his first wife Mary (Jamie Karen), or when he sings Fallen Angel about the death of his daughter Francine. Stunning moments, beautifully imagined.
So what if original band member Tommy DeVito (Erik Bates) doesn’t come out looking so good. He was part of something special, proving that sometimes the sum can be greater than the parts.
Bates, along with Steve Gouveia as Nick Massi and Andrew Rannells as Bob Guadio, are multitalented performers who can sing and move like a quartet from the ’50s and ’60s. Bwarie convincingly apes Valli’s trademark falsetto and handles the lower registers.
Jersey Boys Through Aug. 16
8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays and Aug. 11; 2 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Aug. 14
Fair Park Music Hall, Dallas
$30-$100
817-467-2787 or 214-631-2787; www.dallassummermusicals.org
Be advised: Strong language
Runtime: Two hours, 30 minutes with one intermission
Best reason to go: Sure, the songs and singing are great, but this is a marvelously crafted bio-musical
—–
To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.