Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Off-Broadway edition of JERSEY BOYS delivers a lean, mean punch

• By drediman
• May 22, 2018
• No Comments

Cory Jeacoma, Nicolas Dromard, Aaron De Jesus, and Mark Edwards “Jersey Boys” at New World Stages.

This past weekend, I had the chance to catch up with the popular Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys – Off-Broadway. Perhaps the best of the so-called jukebox musicals, it was a long-running hit at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre, where it had a healthy run of 12 years. Indeed, without (the far superior) Jersey Boys, I doubt shows like Beautiful, Motown, or Summer – each is essentially biographical in nature – would have seen the light of day.

What makes Jersey Boys­ – for those of you who don’t know, the musical tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – still the best of the lot are two things: Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s brash, smartly-structured book and Des McAnuff’s driving, muscular staging. Luckily, both are largely intact at New World Stages. Mr. Elice and Brickman’s book is divided into four sections – or seasons – and is narrated, Rashomon-sytle, by each member of the original Four Seasons. As such, there’s not only a variety of perspectives, but also a compelling dramatic arc to the proceedings.

Mr. McAnuff has recreated his original direction for the Off-Broadway mounting, albeit on an understandably smaller scale. In essence, his work is a propulsive collage of masterfully-blocked stage pictures (special kudos to Sergio Trujillo’s crisp, punchy choreography) on a bare, two-tiered playing area with just a slight suggestion of time and place. On a smaller stage, the theatrical impact of Mr. McAnuff’s staging impressively packs a lean and mean punch.

I found the current Off-Broadway quartet – comprised of Aaron De Jesus as Frankie Valli, Nicolas Dromard as Tommy DeVito, Mark Edwards as Nick Massi, and Cory Jeacoma as Bob Gaudio – to be quite fabulous. Each brought immense presence, energy, and precision to their performance (not surprisingly, three of the four have had notable histories with the show). Let’s hope this downsized but effective edition of Jersey Boys follows the path of Avenue Q (also currently at New World Stages), another Tony-winning musical that has managed to recalibrate itself and maintain a robust Off-Broadway life.

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JERSEY BOYS
Off-Broadway, Musical
New World Stages
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run