Theater critic Lawrence Toppman’s Review on Jersey Boys performing at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Belk Theater, Charlotte NC.
Yet strange to say, the best thing about this show is not the music. It’s the chemistry among those four leads, whose characters could sustain harmony only under a spotlight.
You can tell what kinds of people these are even when they perform in forced unison. Insecure Tommy DeVito (Matt Bailey), who sees himself as the group’s founder and boss, wears a wary, anxious look.
Presumably placid Nick Massi (Steve Gouveia) smiles noncommittally, careful not to show hurt feelings. Urbane Bob Gaudio (Ryan Jesse) enjoys the excitement without getting sucked into the drama.
And Frankie Valli carries the brunt of the pathos, whether in the keening high notes of the songs or his innocent face. I can’t imagine Joseph Leo Bwarie will ever get another role that suits him so exactly: He’s short and unconventionally handsome in Valli’s way, and he can soar through the songs yet show a quiet gentleness in Act 2, when writers Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman finally tap into deeper emotions.
{ Via CharlotteObserver.com }
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