Theater Review: 'Jersey Boys' at Music Theatre of Connecticut

By Nancy Sasso Janis

Music Theatre of Connecticut in Norwalk has opened their 37th mainstage season with the Tony Award winning “Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.”

Audiences get to see incredible performances of some favorite songs by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “My Eyes Adored You,” but there is a substantial book written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice in this jukebox musical. Director Kevin Connors, the executive artistic director and co-founder of this theater, notes that “the rise to pop stardom is told in a very cinematic, gritty, raw and honest way” which “connects us with these guys on a very human level.”

This backstory of the group’s journey to fame is not sanitized, full of strong language in a New Jersey accent. The action spans the 1950s to the early 2000s, in various locations, especially around New Jersey. The first act oddly opens with a French rap star and backup group singing “Ces Soirees-La,” an adaptation of “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night,)” in Paris. I didn’t notice that the musical is structured as four "seasons," with each narrated by a different member of the band who gives his own perspective on its history and music.

There is plenty of fine choreography by Assistant Director Katie Goffman that the dancers perform flawlessly, as well as fast-paced highly choreographed set changes that the actors perform between scenes using the aisles. Except for the five male leads, the versatile actors portray a named character “and others.”

Michael Fasano stars as lead vocalist Frankie Valli after appearing last season in “Lend Me A Tenor” and has the fine falsetto voice to carry the role of this iconic singer. Also returning to Music Theatre is Stephen Petrovich as the bass player and arranger Nick Massi.

John Treacy Egan plays the imposing mob boss Gyp DeCarlo. Michael Luongo, an authentic Jersey boy born and raised in “the Garden State,” plays "Handsome Hank" Majewski. Skye Gillespie, who performed the role of Janet in “Rocky Horror,” covers the role of Valli’s daughter Francine. Jeff Raab gleefully plays Joe Pesci (yes, that Joe Pesci.) Emily Solo (“Tenor,” “Sunset Boulevard,”) returns to this stage to play Valli’s first wife Mary Delgado.

I was thrilled to see Dance Captain Brianna Bauch back on this stage, this time as Valli’s girlfriend Lorraine. This talented young actress is an alum of the NewArts performing arm of the 1214 Foundation in Newtown, has appeared with Elm Shakespeare Company and on the Tomorrowland stage in Walt Disney World. She does fine work as a working journalist that tries to make a go of a relationship with the divorced Valli, but also manages a slew of complicated quick changes to play other roles.

Making their debuts at this theater are Sean McGee, who was part of the National Tour of “Jersey Boys,” as young songwriter and keyboardist Bob Gaudio, Matt Mancuso as producer and lyricist Bob Crewe, David L. Murray, Jr. as the radio disc jockey who breaks "Sherry" to fame with a day-long marathon, and Robert Peterpaul as group member Nick DeVito. Nathan Cockroft gives a very strong performance as Tommy DeVito, the founding guitarist and the flawed manager of the group.

Costumes designed by Diane Vanderkroef and wigs designed by Peggi de la Cruz bring the characters to each subsequent era with beautiful looks. The scenic and prop design is flashy, lit well by RJ Romeo. Sound by Jon Damast was uneven at times. Dan O’Driscoll took care of the fight and intimacy choreography.

There is a great (mostly offstage) live band, with music director Tony Bellomy on keyboards, Gary Ruggiero on woodwinds, Stefan Dinkel on trumpet, Max Caserta on guitars, Christopher McNellis on bass guitar and Michael Bancaflor on percussion.

“Jersey Boy” at Music Theatre of Connecticut through Oct.1 with performances on Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and some performances are already sold out. musictheatreofct.com/jersey-boys

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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