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Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.02.2007
TEMPE — Let's get this straight right away: The Tony-winning "Jersey Boys," now playing at Gammage Auditorium on the Arizona State University campus, does not break any ground.
The sets, a backdrop of New Jersey, aren't particularly innovative, the story is a lesser version of VH1's "Behind the Music," the characters aren't much more than cardboard cutouts.
But, dang, the story of the singing group The Four Seasons is fun. Lots and lots of fun.
Credit some fine acting and even finer singing to the four lads who play the members of the singing group.
These actors, who appear to have been born long after The Four Seasons faded away with the 1960s, got the Jersey attitude just right. And the harmonizing — one of the beauties of the original group — was sublime.
Back in the '60s, folks marched to Dylan, grooved to The Beatles, but necked to The Four Seasons' songs such as "My Eyes Adored You" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."
This play brings all those sweet memories of nights in the cramped back seat of a '65 Mustang soaring back.
The play, with a book by Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman (who co-wrote "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan" with Woody Allen) is about the rise and fall of the group, told through each of the members of The Four Seasons.
It opens with a mesmerizing Deven May as the group's founder and resident bad boy, Tommy De Vito, who's in and out of jail before he (sort of) settles down with the group. May is a strong singer but an even stronger personality, depicting De Vito's rebelliousness with a swaggering Jersey charm.
Erich Bergen's Bob Gaudio, the brains of the group, was tall and awkward and just the right mixture of genius and oafishness. Steve Gouveia gave his character, Nick Massi, a passive-aggressive nature — something anyone mixed up from the start with De Vito would possess.
Rick Faugno stepped into the role of Frankie Valli with an anxious energy and a voice that apparently brought back a slew of memories for the boomer crowd that packed Gammage. Heads swayed, lyrics were silently mouthed, and hands clapped madly for the short, powerful crooner.
Director Des McAnuff keeps the staging simple and the story moving.
OK, we use the term "story" loosely here. While we learn about the ups and downs of the group, there are no real insights, and no real story here. And there's this: the Four Seasons rose to fame during the tumultuous '60s, yet there's no hint of war, rebellion or assassinations. The sense left is that sex, money and smooth sounds are all that mattered to the members.
But truly, it makes no difference. The singing is sublime. This is a night of swoonable music. And if you can't make it, here's a tip: The real thing — Frankie Valli — plays AVA Oct. 12.
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