I like it when I go on YouTube and inadvertently discover new videos that make me happy and make me appreciate the interweb even more.
Latest set of vids that bring a smile to my face feature the Chicago cast of Jersey Boys (before Jarrod Spector left for Broadway) singing a bunch of songs I enjoy at the Festa Italiana in Chicago:
Jersey Boys Cast - Blue Moon
Jersey Boys Cast - Still of the Night
Jersey Boys Chicago Cast - Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Jersey Boys Chicago Cast - For the Longest Time
Jersey Boys Chicago Cast - Crazy
Jersey Boys A Capitol Fourth - almost exactly same mix of songs and cast as the Emmy's performance, but I like it a lot better because of the lack of Sopranos clips and incongruous images of people getting whacked while these guys sing.
And because I'm not sure I ever linked them before here:
Jersey Boys at the Emmys 2007 - good performance, weird-ass juxtaposition with Sopranos clips
Jersey Boys cast sing movie medley - from the One Night Only concert I went to
Jersey Boys Sing It Sucks To Be Me Pt. 1 - much funnier if you're familiar with the show, but so very funny if you are
Jersey Boys Sing It Sucks To Be Me Pt. 2
There's nothing like guys harmonizing to make me happy.
Showing posts with label Jersey Boys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jersey Boys. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2009
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Jersey Boys - again!
Just saw Jersey Boys for the fourth time, 'cause I'm crazy. And got lucky. Gonna cut and paste a post I wrote on the broadwayworld.com board.
I just saw Jersey Boys for the fourth time in SF tonight. I knew the run was nearing its end and couldn't resist trying for rush seats to catch this cast (I previously saw the 1st tour once and the 2nd tour twice). I left work early and got there at 5:45PM and was a bit worried because there were 13 people ahead of me in line, but ended up with lower box seats that were better than the rush seats I got last time - limited view but not as limited, and limited in the opposite direction (I was on the right side of the stage, last time I was on the left side). Though I don't think I realized how much was done on the catwalk until I couldn't see what was going on up there. And the people in the box with me totally missed the "Our Sons" going to "Four Seasons" on the sign because it was behind the spiral staircase from our perspective.
I don't seem to have gotten any understudies tonight, which is neat. I wonder if Rick Faugno was tired, though. I've never seen him before so I have nothing to compare, but by the end of the evening he looked noticeably more wrung out and with less energy than everyone else, and his control over his voice over the course of the evening didn't seem to be consistent. I have to say, Rick was far from my favorite Frankie, vocally - actually, probably my least favorite. He kept getting up into his throat rather a lot, which produced a rather unpleasant, pinched, sharp sounding voice, especially when he was belting or going high. What's odd is that I feel like his singing voice range went higher than the other Frankies I've seen in that he didn't seem to need to go falsetto as much, or he disguised his falsetto better, but I thought he sounded the best when he was singing the lower parts. "My Eyes Adored You," the beginning part of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," and the parts of "Fallen Angel" where he doesn't start going louder sounded terrific, I thought. But I couldn't get into his performances of "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," etc... On the plus side, my friend who has never heard or seen Jersey Boys before enjoyed it all, and leaned over after "Sherry" to say "Wow they really nailed that" and then again after "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" to say he really liked it. So maybe I'm just hypercritical now, or it's not fair because I keep comparing to Jarrod who's not only my favorite Frankie, but I also have a recording of from the Emmy's to keep his interpretation fresh in my mind. Also on the flip side, Rick probably sounded closer to the more gritty sound the real Frankie Valli achieves in his non-falsetto singing than Chris, Jarrod, or JLY. I think he let it get a little out of control from time to time though. But I go back to the tired hypothesis b/c at times his singing reminded me a little of me at the end of a karaoke night when I have to force my voice to go where I want it to, and at times it slips a little out of my control.
Acting-wise, I thought he was fine. At times he seemed to rush through lines, but at others I thought his emphasis and delivery were spot-on, and at times more convincing than either Chris or Jarrod. I was sitting on the side where his back was to me in some crucial scenes, like "Fallen Angel" and the pizza parlor scene with Mary Delgado, though, so it's a bit hard to judge. I still feel like Jarrod matures the most convincingly and the most subtly of the three Frankies I've seen. He becomes more mature without you really consciously noticing it, but just gradually takes on more gravity and more emotional weight. I thought Rick was ok here - I didn't really feel like he came off too young or anything. Hard to match what Jarrod did, IMO, b/c I can't even tell how Jarrod pulls it off.
As for the others, I actually quite enjoyed Bryan McElroy's Tommy DeVito. Though he has a far weaker falsetto in that jail ditty he came up with in Ohio than any other Tommy I've heard, I liked his singing voice in general, and thought his interpretation of the role worked quite well. He did the tough guy thing covering up for the screwups and delivering lines just right to get the laughs, and I liked him. Jeff Leibow as Nick Massi I also enjoyed. I feel like his line delivery and accent was actually fairly similar to Michael Ingersoll's which made me wonder if he was influenced by Michael's interpretation or if maybe Nick just sounded like that and they were both working off of that. His take seemed less fussy OCD than Michael Ingersoll's and a bit more wise guy, but I thought it worked well. Andrew Rannells as Bob Gaudio I have mixed feelings on. Vocally, loved his performance of "Oh What a Night," not as fond of "Cry for Me." He played up the humor really well, and did the young Bob in a really funny way. My friend found something a bit off about his performance but couldn't articulate it but I think I know what he means - he was a bit overenthusiastic and a bit too broadly winking outside of the role, I think. I mean, he got great laughs from the audience but then he seemed to react to it a bit more than was in character. I guess what I'm saying is he didn't seem to stay in character - the other guys all reacted to the cheering and laughter in ways more consistent with their characters. But he was a lot of fun.
I think I still like my first Bob Crewe (name slips my mind) the best - his interpretation completely colored what I think the role should be for me. Jonathan Hadley didn't quite hit the right note for me and wasn't as funny, I thought, though he was fine in general. Also looked a bit older than I expected for the role. The girls were great, I thought. Since the spiral staircase was right in front of us it was kind of interesting and touching to watch Joyce Chittick as Mary sobbing on the staircase as Rick sang the first part of "My Eyes Adored You" (also kind of interesting to watch Rick just gulp down as much water as he could during the whole trying to get "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" on the radio bit - not sure how he could sing after downing that much water, though I'm sure he needs it!).
I don't know if being on the far side throws off the vocal balance or how things are mixed, and whether that affects how I hear things. But at times I felt like the orchestrations/songs were a little flat - I felt like I could barely hear "Short Shorts," for instance. But at others, the harmonies were heavenly - I thought they sounded better at times than I'd ever heard before. The three non-Frankie guys and whoever was singing backstage to back them up just sounded awesome together.
I think it's funny whenever I read a review about how the show really gets going with "Sherry/Big Girls/Walk Like a Man" because I'm actually a huge fan of the earlier mix of songs - I love the whole intro bit, adore "Silhouettes", love "A Sunday Kind of Love" when they're harmonizing on it in the church... I think that's one of the things that keeps me going back to the show instead of just listening to the cast recording, since they don't have the full songs in the cast recording.
The audience was great, btw - very very into things, laughing hard, cheering and whooping appreciatively, and I don't think I've ever heard them gasp so loud when Tommy says he owes half a million in tax money. They jumped up for a standing ovation before any of the actors even hit the stage for their bows.
At any rate, I have to say I missed my favorite Frankie, Jarrod, but on the whole I'm very happy I decided to see Jersey Boys for the fourth time. I just love this show, and the finale always brings a huge smile to my face (except the part of me which goes "oh no, it's almost over!"). It's probably a good thing it's going away soon - I've never seen any show four times in a single year before, and there are very few shows I've even seen four times total! Not sure I should let myself be tempted to see it for a fifth time!
I just saw Jersey Boys for the fourth time in SF tonight. I knew the run was nearing its end and couldn't resist trying for rush seats to catch this cast (I previously saw the 1st tour once and the 2nd tour twice). I left work early and got there at 5:45PM and was a bit worried because there were 13 people ahead of me in line, but ended up with lower box seats that were better than the rush seats I got last time - limited view but not as limited, and limited in the opposite direction (I was on the right side of the stage, last time I was on the left side). Though I don't think I realized how much was done on the catwalk until I couldn't see what was going on up there. And the people in the box with me totally missed the "Our Sons" going to "Four Seasons" on the sign because it was behind the spiral staircase from our perspective.
I don't seem to have gotten any understudies tonight, which is neat. I wonder if Rick Faugno was tired, though. I've never seen him before so I have nothing to compare, but by the end of the evening he looked noticeably more wrung out and with less energy than everyone else, and his control over his voice over the course of the evening didn't seem to be consistent. I have to say, Rick was far from my favorite Frankie, vocally - actually, probably my least favorite. He kept getting up into his throat rather a lot, which produced a rather unpleasant, pinched, sharp sounding voice, especially when he was belting or going high. What's odd is that I feel like his singing voice range went higher than the other Frankies I've seen in that he didn't seem to need to go falsetto as much, or he disguised his falsetto better, but I thought he sounded the best when he was singing the lower parts. "My Eyes Adored You," the beginning part of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," and the parts of "Fallen Angel" where he doesn't start going louder sounded terrific, I thought. But I couldn't get into his performances of "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," etc... On the plus side, my friend who has never heard or seen Jersey Boys before enjoyed it all, and leaned over after "Sherry" to say "Wow they really nailed that" and then again after "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" to say he really liked it. So maybe I'm just hypercritical now, or it's not fair because I keep comparing to Jarrod who's not only my favorite Frankie, but I also have a recording of from the Emmy's to keep his interpretation fresh in my mind. Also on the flip side, Rick probably sounded closer to the more gritty sound the real Frankie Valli achieves in his non-falsetto singing than Chris, Jarrod, or JLY. I think he let it get a little out of control from time to time though. But I go back to the tired hypothesis b/c at times his singing reminded me a little of me at the end of a karaoke night when I have to force my voice to go where I want it to, and at times it slips a little out of my control.
Acting-wise, I thought he was fine. At times he seemed to rush through lines, but at others I thought his emphasis and delivery were spot-on, and at times more convincing than either Chris or Jarrod. I was sitting on the side where his back was to me in some crucial scenes, like "Fallen Angel" and the pizza parlor scene with Mary Delgado, though, so it's a bit hard to judge. I still feel like Jarrod matures the most convincingly and the most subtly of the three Frankies I've seen. He becomes more mature without you really consciously noticing it, but just gradually takes on more gravity and more emotional weight. I thought Rick was ok here - I didn't really feel like he came off too young or anything. Hard to match what Jarrod did, IMO, b/c I can't even tell how Jarrod pulls it off.
As for the others, I actually quite enjoyed Bryan McElroy's Tommy DeVito. Though he has a far weaker falsetto in that jail ditty he came up with in Ohio than any other Tommy I've heard, I liked his singing voice in general, and thought his interpretation of the role worked quite well. He did the tough guy thing covering up for the screwups and delivering lines just right to get the laughs, and I liked him. Jeff Leibow as Nick Massi I also enjoyed. I feel like his line delivery and accent was actually fairly similar to Michael Ingersoll's which made me wonder if he was influenced by Michael's interpretation or if maybe Nick just sounded like that and they were both working off of that. His take seemed less fussy OCD than Michael Ingersoll's and a bit more wise guy, but I thought it worked well. Andrew Rannells as Bob Gaudio I have mixed feelings on. Vocally, loved his performance of "Oh What a Night," not as fond of "Cry for Me." He played up the humor really well, and did the young Bob in a really funny way. My friend found something a bit off about his performance but couldn't articulate it but I think I know what he means - he was a bit overenthusiastic and a bit too broadly winking outside of the role, I think. I mean, he got great laughs from the audience but then he seemed to react to it a bit more than was in character. I guess what I'm saying is he didn't seem to stay in character - the other guys all reacted to the cheering and laughter in ways more consistent with their characters. But he was a lot of fun.
I think I still like my first Bob Crewe (name slips my mind) the best - his interpretation completely colored what I think the role should be for me. Jonathan Hadley didn't quite hit the right note for me and wasn't as funny, I thought, though he was fine in general. Also looked a bit older than I expected for the role. The girls were great, I thought. Since the spiral staircase was right in front of us it was kind of interesting and touching to watch Joyce Chittick as Mary sobbing on the staircase as Rick sang the first part of "My Eyes Adored You" (also kind of interesting to watch Rick just gulp down as much water as he could during the whole trying to get "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" on the radio bit - not sure how he could sing after downing that much water, though I'm sure he needs it!).
I don't know if being on the far side throws off the vocal balance or how things are mixed, and whether that affects how I hear things. But at times I felt like the orchestrations/songs were a little flat - I felt like I could barely hear "Short Shorts," for instance. But at others, the harmonies were heavenly - I thought they sounded better at times than I'd ever heard before. The three non-Frankie guys and whoever was singing backstage to back them up just sounded awesome together.
I think it's funny whenever I read a review about how the show really gets going with "Sherry/Big Girls/Walk Like a Man" because I'm actually a huge fan of the earlier mix of songs - I love the whole intro bit, adore "Silhouettes", love "A Sunday Kind of Love" when they're harmonizing on it in the church... I think that's one of the things that keeps me going back to the show instead of just listening to the cast recording, since they don't have the full songs in the cast recording.
The audience was great, btw - very very into things, laughing hard, cheering and whooping appreciatively, and I don't think I've ever heard them gasp so loud when Tommy says he owes half a million in tax money. They jumped up for a standing ovation before any of the actors even hit the stage for their bows.
At any rate, I have to say I missed my favorite Frankie, Jarrod, but on the whole I'm very happy I decided to see Jersey Boys for the fourth time. I just love this show, and the finale always brings a huge smile to my face (except the part of me which goes "oh no, it's almost over!"). It's probably a good thing it's going away soon - I've never seen any show four times in a single year before, and there are very few shows I've even seen four times total! Not sure I should let myself be tempted to see it for a fifth time!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Odd Jersey Boys tribute
The cast I saw Thursday of the Jersey Boys was on the Emmy Awards tonight, doing a tribute to The Sopranos. So I get the Jersey connection (Frankie Valli apparently even guest starred on the Sopranos) but it was just odd, seeing all these clips of people getting beaten or shot or drowning themselves or something juxtaposed with "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You." I'm not sure who thought that one up but I guess the "Jersey Boys" show is best known for that song, "The Sopranos" is a really violent show, so if you're going to show what's well known about each, you put violence over a love song?
I dunno. Anyway. I'm not sure that was the best representation of the show or the cast it could have been, since it seemed to be missing the full sound and energy in that large space, but I'm just glad to finally have a recording of Jarrod Spector as Frankie. Even though the performance seemed to be missing a little something that's there when you see it live. Wish it had been longer...
I dunno. Anyway. I'm not sure that was the best representation of the show or the cast it could have been, since it seemed to be missing the full sound and energy in that large space, but I'm just glad to finally have a recording of Jarrod Spector as Frankie. Even though the performance seemed to be missing a little something that's there when you see it live. Wish it had been longer...
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Who loves you?
I love, love, love the Jersey Boys. Absolutely adore it. The music, the harmonies, the story, the jokes, the energy, everything. Puts a huge smile on my face while I'm watching.
I just came back from seeing the Jersey Boys for the third time at the Curran Theater, first time from rush seats (I arrived at 5pm, I was probably the 8th or 9th person in line?). They aren't kidding when they say the seats are limited view. We were in the front row of the left orchestra - I had the centermost seat of the four of us, and most of my view was blocked everytime they had a bar or table or something set up, and I couldn't see anything from the actors' waists down once they got only halfway back (or barely their heads when they were in the back), and my friends were even further to the left and could see even less. On the other hand, you really get caught up in the energy of the show when you're that close up, watching the spit fly, getting a wink or a glance from a cast member, seeing the glittering moisture in Jarrod Spector's eyes during "Fallen Angel," watching every facial expression cross the actors' faces (when they weren't facing away from you, at least), and almost, almost thinking you could hear their actual voices instead of the projected voices.
I've now seen the original SF cast - Christopher Kale Jones as Frankie, Deven May as Tommy, Miles Aubrey as Bob (Erich Bergen was off that day), and Michael Ingersoll as Nick - from 3rd row center orchestra seats we were lucky enough to snag the day or two before the show. I've seen the new SF cast shortly after they started - Jarrod Spector as Frankie, Jeremy Kushnier as Tommy, Drew Gehling as Bob, and Steve Gouveia as Nick - from balcony seats. And now I've seen the current SF (soon to be Chicago, I believe) cast with Michael Ingersoll as Nick from 1st row left orchestra. Not to mention countless YouTube clips of the Broadway cast. My assessment? It's far, far, better to be close up, to feel more caught up in the energy and the emotion. Center orchestra 3rd row (which probably cost 4x as much as rush seats) are much better than left orchestra 1st row. Jarrod Spector sounds an awful lot like the actual Frankie Valli and his acting is spot on - the emotion feels genuine, his growth from callow youth to mature father very convincing, yet extremely subtle, his quiet strength and barely-restrained anger in the confrontation scene with Tommy believable, and his anguish during "Fallen Angel" palpable. He delivers one of the most beautiful versions of "Fallen Angel" (and "My Eyes Adored You") I've heard, and his voice is fantastic. My only complaint is that I sometimes felt, in both performances I saw of him, that he was a bit too restrained - his falsetto is flawless but doesn't project as strongly as his non-falsetto singing voice so he could get a bit lost in the orchestrations, and he doesn't have the extroverted energy of the rest of the cast (though how he could maintain that for the length of time he's on stage, I don't know). On the other hand, from the recordings I've seen of John Lloyd Young, that could simply be the character. He seems to me to approach the character in a very similar way to JLY. Christopher Kale Jones, on the other hand, was a bundle of joyous energy. Of the three Frankie's I've heard, he's the least authentically Valli sounding, but he has a very powerful falsetto and possibly the best musical theater singing voice (though when Jarrod actually got going on songs like "Beggin'", he was right up there in the projection and energy as well). His energy level was infectious, and it could be b/c it was the first time I saw it, but Sherry/Big Girls Don't Cry/Walk Like a Man was an absolutely incredible energy shot in that first performance in a way that didn't quite hold as true after that. On the other hand, I found his dramatic scenes - the confrontation with Tommy, the "Fallen Angel" scene (though sung beautifully) a bit less convincing. Christopher Kale Jones was a ton of fun to watch, Jarrod Spector is extremely compelling to watch. The funny thing is, the first time I heard both Chris Jones and Jarrod Spector sing as young Frankie, I could not stand their voices - both were far too nasally (and I thought Chris Jones went slightly off key from time to time). It was my bf who suggested that it was a deliberate acting choice to indicate him being young and untrained, I was too busy cringing to interpret =P. I don't know if it's b/c I expected it or b/c he's toned it down, but I didn't think Jarrod's voice was nearly as nasally as young Frankie tonight. At any rate, I would love to see Chris Jones' interpretation of Frankie again now that he's had more time to settle into the role and I'm much more familiar with it, but I'm not *quite* crazy enough to drive out to Sacramento to see the show for the fourth time. It's tempting...
As for the rest of the cast, I have a definite fondness for Deven May as Tommy DeVito - he seemed more dangerous, more edgy, but really played up the sly humor and the broad winking at the audience. Plus I like his voice. However, Jeremy Kushnier brings his own spin to the role and is equally compelling in a different way. He plays Tommy more as an ineffectual blowhard than someone actually dangerous or tough, which I initially found a bit offputting after Deven May's interpretation, but made him backing down to Frankie and the way everyone started dismissing him after a while a lot more believable. Both are awesome and I'm glad I saw them both. Of the Bob Gaudios, Miles Aubrey had a wonderful, wonderful voice, but as a character, I thought Drew Gehling was both more convincing and brought a lot more interpretation to the role. Of course, Aubrey was an understudy so he didn't have night after night to perfect the role, but IMO he also didn't have the right look to play the super-youthful Gaudio early on. I loved his "Cry for Me" and "Oh What a Night" but Drew Gehling also has a wonderful voice and made me laugh harder. His rather overexaggerated but hilarious reactions as the extremely nervous inexperienced youth at the beginning of "Oh What a Night" (and when he first talked to some girls at the bar in his first scene) were priceless. And it was pretty amazing glancing at him as he stood on the catwalk and watched Frankie sing "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". He was facing me directly from where he stood, and even though he's in the background of the scene, he looks completely proud, and fond, and every emotion you would imagine Bob Gaudio feeling as he watched his best friend sing this song and capture the audience you could see on his face. It had me wondering if he's just a great actor, or if that was actually his genuine emotion watching Jarrod. Pretty cool moment. Though I was a bit distracted at times b/c I think he looks a bit like Todd Eldredge, the figure skater. As for Nick Massi, there's no question about it. Michael Ingersoll's interpretation wins for me hands down. The character can be a bit of a non-entity, in the background all the time but never really exhibiting a really strong sense of who he is in the way the other three do, but Michael Ingersoll brings him to life in his line deliveries, facial expressions, and body language as a slightly offbeat, quirky, precise and fussy, and wistful person. His every line reading is deliberate in the same way he straightens his cuffs, really taking what's in the script about this slightly OCD character and embodying him with dignity and humor. And the way he turns "maybe I should start my own group" into a running joke, just by his delivery and expressions, is awesome. Steve Gouveia's interpretation was far more ordinary guy, and given how in the background Nick Massi already is, it just didn't make him stand out at all. And the "maybe I should start my own group" repetition seemed to just blow over the audience's heads, wasting a great joke. He was good, but I love Michael Ingersoll's version.
Overall, though, it's the music more than anything that keeps me obsessed with this show. I love guys harmonizing anyway but there's something about the Four Seasons music that is just so infectious and addictive. One of the people we talked to in line was waiting for her 3rd show in a row, and had seen the show a total of six times. I'm not quite at that level yet, but boy..it is kind of tempting to go back tomorrow night and try again... ;)
Oh I almost forgot - one funny bit that I don't remember ever seeing in my previous two viewings of the show (maybe they added it, maybe I didn't notice it?) was when Frankie and the guys are singing backup for "Miss Frankie Nolan", at one point Frankie sings backup alone for her, really belting out his part in falsetto, and she starts looking really pissed, waving at him to be quieter, and trying to outsing him, finally giving him a very dirty look as she leaves the stage. In the meantime, he's looking really amused (probably one of the few times you see him laugh on stage) while the other guys are basically laughing and slapping him on the back for it. That was cute. Ah, poor threatened lead singer...
Who loves you, pretty baby? Who's gonna help you through the night... *goes off singing(
I just came back from seeing the Jersey Boys for the third time at the Curran Theater, first time from rush seats (I arrived at 5pm, I was probably the 8th or 9th person in line?). They aren't kidding when they say the seats are limited view. We were in the front row of the left orchestra - I had the centermost seat of the four of us, and most of my view was blocked everytime they had a bar or table or something set up, and I couldn't see anything from the actors' waists down once they got only halfway back (or barely their heads when they were in the back), and my friends were even further to the left and could see even less. On the other hand, you really get caught up in the energy of the show when you're that close up, watching the spit fly, getting a wink or a glance from a cast member, seeing the glittering moisture in Jarrod Spector's eyes during "Fallen Angel," watching every facial expression cross the actors' faces (when they weren't facing away from you, at least), and almost, almost thinking you could hear their actual voices instead of the projected voices.
I've now seen the original SF cast - Christopher Kale Jones as Frankie, Deven May as Tommy, Miles Aubrey as Bob (Erich Bergen was off that day), and Michael Ingersoll as Nick - from 3rd row center orchestra seats we were lucky enough to snag the day or two before the show. I've seen the new SF cast shortly after they started - Jarrod Spector as Frankie, Jeremy Kushnier as Tommy, Drew Gehling as Bob, and Steve Gouveia as Nick - from balcony seats. And now I've seen the current SF (soon to be Chicago, I believe) cast with Michael Ingersoll as Nick from 1st row left orchestra. Not to mention countless YouTube clips of the Broadway cast. My assessment? It's far, far, better to be close up, to feel more caught up in the energy and the emotion. Center orchestra 3rd row (which probably cost 4x as much as rush seats) are much better than left orchestra 1st row. Jarrod Spector sounds an awful lot like the actual Frankie Valli and his acting is spot on - the emotion feels genuine, his growth from callow youth to mature father very convincing, yet extremely subtle, his quiet strength and barely-restrained anger in the confrontation scene with Tommy believable, and his anguish during "Fallen Angel" palpable. He delivers one of the most beautiful versions of "Fallen Angel" (and "My Eyes Adored You") I've heard, and his voice is fantastic. My only complaint is that I sometimes felt, in both performances I saw of him, that he was a bit too restrained - his falsetto is flawless but doesn't project as strongly as his non-falsetto singing voice so he could get a bit lost in the orchestrations, and he doesn't have the extroverted energy of the rest of the cast (though how he could maintain that for the length of time he's on stage, I don't know). On the other hand, from the recordings I've seen of John Lloyd Young, that could simply be the character. He seems to me to approach the character in a very similar way to JLY. Christopher Kale Jones, on the other hand, was a bundle of joyous energy. Of the three Frankie's I've heard, he's the least authentically Valli sounding, but he has a very powerful falsetto and possibly the best musical theater singing voice (though when Jarrod actually got going on songs like "Beggin'", he was right up there in the projection and energy as well). His energy level was infectious, and it could be b/c it was the first time I saw it, but Sherry/Big Girls Don't Cry/Walk Like a Man was an absolutely incredible energy shot in that first performance in a way that didn't quite hold as true after that. On the other hand, I found his dramatic scenes - the confrontation with Tommy, the "Fallen Angel" scene (though sung beautifully) a bit less convincing. Christopher Kale Jones was a ton of fun to watch, Jarrod Spector is extremely compelling to watch. The funny thing is, the first time I heard both Chris Jones and Jarrod Spector sing as young Frankie, I could not stand their voices - both were far too nasally (and I thought Chris Jones went slightly off key from time to time). It was my bf who suggested that it was a deliberate acting choice to indicate him being young and untrained, I was too busy cringing to interpret =P. I don't know if it's b/c I expected it or b/c he's toned it down, but I didn't think Jarrod's voice was nearly as nasally as young Frankie tonight. At any rate, I would love to see Chris Jones' interpretation of Frankie again now that he's had more time to settle into the role and I'm much more familiar with it, but I'm not *quite* crazy enough to drive out to Sacramento to see the show for the fourth time. It's tempting...
As for the rest of the cast, I have a definite fondness for Deven May as Tommy DeVito - he seemed more dangerous, more edgy, but really played up the sly humor and the broad winking at the audience. Plus I like his voice. However, Jeremy Kushnier brings his own spin to the role and is equally compelling in a different way. He plays Tommy more as an ineffectual blowhard than someone actually dangerous or tough, which I initially found a bit offputting after Deven May's interpretation, but made him backing down to Frankie and the way everyone started dismissing him after a while a lot more believable. Both are awesome and I'm glad I saw them both. Of the Bob Gaudios, Miles Aubrey had a wonderful, wonderful voice, but as a character, I thought Drew Gehling was both more convincing and brought a lot more interpretation to the role. Of course, Aubrey was an understudy so he didn't have night after night to perfect the role, but IMO he also didn't have the right look to play the super-youthful Gaudio early on. I loved his "Cry for Me" and "Oh What a Night" but Drew Gehling also has a wonderful voice and made me laugh harder. His rather overexaggerated but hilarious reactions as the extremely nervous inexperienced youth at the beginning of "Oh What a Night" (and when he first talked to some girls at the bar in his first scene) were priceless. And it was pretty amazing glancing at him as he stood on the catwalk and watched Frankie sing "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". He was facing me directly from where he stood, and even though he's in the background of the scene, he looks completely proud, and fond, and every emotion you would imagine Bob Gaudio feeling as he watched his best friend sing this song and capture the audience you could see on his face. It had me wondering if he's just a great actor, or if that was actually his genuine emotion watching Jarrod. Pretty cool moment. Though I was a bit distracted at times b/c I think he looks a bit like Todd Eldredge, the figure skater. As for Nick Massi, there's no question about it. Michael Ingersoll's interpretation wins for me hands down. The character can be a bit of a non-entity, in the background all the time but never really exhibiting a really strong sense of who he is in the way the other three do, but Michael Ingersoll brings him to life in his line deliveries, facial expressions, and body language as a slightly offbeat, quirky, precise and fussy, and wistful person. His every line reading is deliberate in the same way he straightens his cuffs, really taking what's in the script about this slightly OCD character and embodying him with dignity and humor. And the way he turns "maybe I should start my own group" into a running joke, just by his delivery and expressions, is awesome. Steve Gouveia's interpretation was far more ordinary guy, and given how in the background Nick Massi already is, it just didn't make him stand out at all. And the "maybe I should start my own group" repetition seemed to just blow over the audience's heads, wasting a great joke. He was good, but I love Michael Ingersoll's version.
Overall, though, it's the music more than anything that keeps me obsessed with this show. I love guys harmonizing anyway but there's something about the Four Seasons music that is just so infectious and addictive. One of the people we talked to in line was waiting for her 3rd show in a row, and had seen the show a total of six times. I'm not quite at that level yet, but boy..it is kind of tempting to go back tomorrow night and try again... ;)
Oh I almost forgot - one funny bit that I don't remember ever seeing in my previous two viewings of the show (maybe they added it, maybe I didn't notice it?) was when Frankie and the guys are singing backup for "Miss Frankie Nolan", at one point Frankie sings backup alone for her, really belting out his part in falsetto, and she starts looking really pissed, waving at him to be quieter, and trying to outsing him, finally giving him a very dirty look as she leaves the stage. In the meantime, he's looking really amused (probably one of the few times you see him laugh on stage) while the other guys are basically laughing and slapping him on the back for it. That was cute. Ah, poor threatened lead singer...
Who loves you, pretty baby? Who's gonna help you through the night... *goes off singing(
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
One Night Only
This is one of those times when living and working in the city is really awesome. Yesterday, I found out quite randomly that the casts of Avenue Q and Jersey Boys were doing a "One Night Only Cabaret" benefiting a number of AIDS groups at the Post Street Theatre by Union Square that very night. Jersey Boys is one of my favorite shows I've seen in recent memory (saw it twice in SF - once with the original "Sherry" touring cast with Christopher Kale Jones as Frankie, and once with the new touring cast with Jarrod Spector as Frankie), and I loved Avenue Q when we saw it on Broadway last year. I immediately emailed my bf asking if he wanted to go, and was soon on the phone getting tickets.
The show was so much fun. The two casts obviously worked hard on putting together a very entertaining evening of song and dance, linked by the overarching "storyline" that the Four Seasons were auditioning to cast their newest touring production (the Utica cast) of Jersey Boys. The funniest songs all had to do with sex, of course, from Jake? from the Jersey Boys cast singing a country song about how "you're not gay unless you take it, but if you take it then, *poof* you're gay" (singing to the repressed Rod puppet character from Avenue Q) to a really amusing dual guitar act where an obviously sexually sucky guy with a disinterested partner is singing about how Wednesday night is the night they make love, and narrating the whole (2 minute encounter) including how brushing their teeth was foreplay... The songs I enjoyed most, though, were the tweaks and takeoffs on actual Jersey Boys and Avenue Q songs or characters. The show opened with the Avenue Q cast (in character) singing "I Hope I Get It" from The Chorus Line, with lyrics substituted for puppets and Jersey Boys-related stuff. A couple swings from Jersey Boys (including the one playing Nick Massi last night, b/c Michael Ingersoll was busy, something they "mocked" him for a few times), the Frankie stand-in (2 shows a week), Joe Pesci actor, and the actress who played Francine sang a hilarious version of Avenue Q's "It Sucks To Be Me" about how it sucked for them in the cast of the Jersey Boys (with the guys finally deferring to the lone Jersey Girl as having the suckiest position). The four leads from Jersey Boys sang a hilarious medley of "guy flick" songs, integrating Jersey Boy choreography and going through songs like "Eye of the Tiger," "Highway to the Danger Zone," and a whole bunch of other recognizable, hilarious songs, culminating with "Walk Like a Man." Rod from Avenue Q also sang a jumbled medley of a whole lot of varied songs that was hilarious, but which I can't recall specifics of at the moment. Rod and Nicky also sang "You're a Top" to each other, specifically to reassure Rod of his manliness. The women of both casts sang "I'm a Woman" with great power and strength, the three black women from the Avenue Q sang about how white boys were so pretty... Seth and Jennie from the cast of Avenue Q sang a hilarious argument song about how "I'm not mad that you were mad that I thought that you thought that..." etc etc... Another woman from Avenue Q opened the second half of the show with "If I Had a month/week/day to live"... "Mary Delgado" seized her 3 minutes and 28 seconds in the sun to sing a solo (forgot what it was)... Some of the more random notes of the evening was one of the Jersey Boys cast members singing a Gnarls Barkley song, a Jersey Boys band? member singing a Little Richard medley, Jarrod Spector in character as Frankie singing a love song to Kate Monster that didn't quite work for me... The topper of the evening, though, which they obviously realized since they left it for almost last, was Trekkie Monster, auditioning for the role of Frankie Valli, singing "You boobs too good to be true" (ie "Can't Take My Eyes off of You") with lyrics that just got more and more hilarious, culminating in him pissing off Mary Delgado, who kneed him in the groin, leading to the falsetto of the last line. It was awesome.
Halfway through the show, they did a live auction with a number of donated items (a trip for 2 to Hawaii, two first class tickets anywhere from Canada to Central America that Continental Airlines flew). The most popular items were the two related to the shows, though. One package was to see Avenue Q, get a backstage tour with the chance to meet the cast, and dinner for two. Another was for two souvenir packs from Avenue Q (which originally were packaged with the show tickets) which Jeremy Kushnier (Tommy DeVito) actually ended up winning, b/c the bids weren't going high enough. The one that got the most active bidding, b/c the Jersey Boys (who were the auctioneers) obviously had pre-planned sweetening the pot, kept adding more and more to it. It was originally lunch for 4 with Jarrod Spector (Frankie) and Michael Ingersoll (Nick Massi), along with signed Jersey Boys gear, two tickets to the next "One Night Only Caberet" (with the cast of Mamma Mia), and two tickets to "Blues in the Night" (the usual show that plays at the Post Street Theatre). As the bidding went up, first Drew Gehling (Bob Gaudio) and then Jeremy Kushnier (Tommy DeVito) offered to come along to the lunch... then Jarrod threw in a special "Walk like a Man" T-shirt signed by the whole cast that was from the AIDS walk they did earlier this year, then more signed gear, and then offered to sing "Sherry" at lunch..and finally, when they had a bid for $1400, managed to get someone else to match the bid, getting a total of $2800 for 8 people now to come to lunch with all four Jersey Boys, plus get all the gear.
The show closed with the entire cast singing "Dreams", a song written by someone who'd passed away for his daughter's graduation. It was quite sweet and pretty.
Overally it was a really great show and I am *so* glad I discovered it was happening the day of instead of the day afterwards. In the above I know I've left out songs and gotten the order of stuff completely wrong, but what's important was, the two casts put together an excellent show, and we had a lot of fun watching it.
Oh, and on the note of restaurants, we went to Siam Thai at 167 Mason Street (between Ellis and Eddy). It was good - I had a BBQ pork wonton/egg noodle soup dish (not what I would usually get at Thai) and my bf had the BBQ pork fried rice and we both enjoyed our dishes. Also cheap. However, must take note - we went to the one in the Parc 55 Hotel. There's a Siam Thai Noodle directly across the street which is much more hole in the wall (though appears to have the same pricing/menu)... I think the Yelp reviews are for both. I went to the Siam Thai Noodle, not seeing the one in Parc 55...my bf went straight to the one on the hotel, having read that it was there..neither of us saw the other restaurant until the other one pointed it out. Something to keep in mind if you decide to check out this place right on the border of the Tenderloin....
The show was so much fun. The two casts obviously worked hard on putting together a very entertaining evening of song and dance, linked by the overarching "storyline" that the Four Seasons were auditioning to cast their newest touring production (the Utica cast) of Jersey Boys. The funniest songs all had to do with sex, of course, from Jake? from the Jersey Boys cast singing a country song about how "you're not gay unless you take it, but if you take it then, *poof* you're gay" (singing to the repressed Rod puppet character from Avenue Q) to a really amusing dual guitar act where an obviously sexually sucky guy with a disinterested partner is singing about how Wednesday night is the night they make love, and narrating the whole (2 minute encounter) including how brushing their teeth was foreplay... The songs I enjoyed most, though, were the tweaks and takeoffs on actual Jersey Boys and Avenue Q songs or characters. The show opened with the Avenue Q cast (in character) singing "I Hope I Get It" from The Chorus Line, with lyrics substituted for puppets and Jersey Boys-related stuff. A couple swings from Jersey Boys (including the one playing Nick Massi last night, b/c Michael Ingersoll was busy, something they "mocked" him for a few times), the Frankie stand-in (2 shows a week), Joe Pesci actor, and the actress who played Francine sang a hilarious version of Avenue Q's "It Sucks To Be Me" about how it sucked for them in the cast of the Jersey Boys (with the guys finally deferring to the lone Jersey Girl as having the suckiest position). The four leads from Jersey Boys sang a hilarious medley of "guy flick" songs, integrating Jersey Boy choreography and going through songs like "Eye of the Tiger," "Highway to the Danger Zone," and a whole bunch of other recognizable, hilarious songs, culminating with "Walk Like a Man." Rod from Avenue Q also sang a jumbled medley of a whole lot of varied songs that was hilarious, but which I can't recall specifics of at the moment. Rod and Nicky also sang "You're a Top" to each other, specifically to reassure Rod of his manliness. The women of both casts sang "I'm a Woman" with great power and strength, the three black women from the Avenue Q sang about how white boys were so pretty... Seth and Jennie from the cast of Avenue Q sang a hilarious argument song about how "I'm not mad that you were mad that I thought that you thought that..." etc etc... Another woman from Avenue Q opened the second half of the show with "If I Had a month/week/day to live"... "Mary Delgado" seized her 3 minutes and 28 seconds in the sun to sing a solo (forgot what it was)... Some of the more random notes of the evening was one of the Jersey Boys cast members singing a Gnarls Barkley song, a Jersey Boys band? member singing a Little Richard medley, Jarrod Spector in character as Frankie singing a love song to Kate Monster that didn't quite work for me... The topper of the evening, though, which they obviously realized since they left it for almost last, was Trekkie Monster, auditioning for the role of Frankie Valli, singing "You boobs too good to be true" (ie "Can't Take My Eyes off of You") with lyrics that just got more and more hilarious, culminating in him pissing off Mary Delgado, who kneed him in the groin, leading to the falsetto of the last line. It was awesome.
Halfway through the show, they did a live auction with a number of donated items (a trip for 2 to Hawaii, two first class tickets anywhere from Canada to Central America that Continental Airlines flew). The most popular items were the two related to the shows, though. One package was to see Avenue Q, get a backstage tour with the chance to meet the cast, and dinner for two. Another was for two souvenir packs from Avenue Q (which originally were packaged with the show tickets) which Jeremy Kushnier (Tommy DeVito) actually ended up winning, b/c the bids weren't going high enough. The one that got the most active bidding, b/c the Jersey Boys (who were the auctioneers) obviously had pre-planned sweetening the pot, kept adding more and more to it. It was originally lunch for 4 with Jarrod Spector (Frankie) and Michael Ingersoll (Nick Massi), along with signed Jersey Boys gear, two tickets to the next "One Night Only Caberet" (with the cast of Mamma Mia), and two tickets to "Blues in the Night" (the usual show that plays at the Post Street Theatre). As the bidding went up, first Drew Gehling (Bob Gaudio) and then Jeremy Kushnier (Tommy DeVito) offered to come along to the lunch... then Jarrod threw in a special "Walk like a Man" T-shirt signed by the whole cast that was from the AIDS walk they did earlier this year, then more signed gear, and then offered to sing "Sherry" at lunch..and finally, when they had a bid for $1400, managed to get someone else to match the bid, getting a total of $2800 for 8 people now to come to lunch with all four Jersey Boys, plus get all the gear.
The show closed with the entire cast singing "Dreams", a song written by someone who'd passed away for his daughter's graduation. It was quite sweet and pretty.
Overally it was a really great show and I am *so* glad I discovered it was happening the day of instead of the day afterwards. In the above I know I've left out songs and gotten the order of stuff completely wrong, but what's important was, the two casts put together an excellent show, and we had a lot of fun watching it.
Oh, and on the note of restaurants, we went to Siam Thai at 167 Mason Street (between Ellis and Eddy). It was good - I had a BBQ pork wonton/egg noodle soup dish (not what I would usually get at Thai) and my bf had the BBQ pork fried rice and we both enjoyed our dishes. Also cheap. However, must take note - we went to the one in the Parc 55 Hotel. There's a Siam Thai Noodle directly across the street which is much more hole in the wall (though appears to have the same pricing/menu)... I think the Yelp reviews are for both. I went to the Siam Thai Noodle, not seeing the one in Parc 55...my bf went straight to the one on the hotel, having read that it was there..neither of us saw the other restaurant until the other one pointed it out. Something to keep in mind if you decide to check out this place right on the border of the Tenderloin....
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