Jersey Boys – Matt Bailey (Tommy DeVito), Alayna Gallo (Lorraine and others), and Kevin Crewell (Bob Crewe and others) from the national touring company of Jersey Boys talk about the show, their experiences, and their acting beginnings. They had a lot to say, including some particularly nice things about the Durham Performing Arts Center as a venue.
BWW: Jersey Boys has been around a long time now. What can fans who have seen the show before expect when they see it for a 2nd or 3rd time?
Kevin Crewell: Well, there’s so much that goes on, I feel like if you really do want to see everything, you need a good two or three shots at it.
Alayna Gallo: My mother has seen it at least 20 times, and every single time, she’s like “Oh, Alayna, I had no idea that this, this, and that happened.” She will still see it another 20 times.
Kevin Crewell: That’s the indicator – mom will keep seeing it…
Alayna Gallo: Yeah, and everybody that says that. It’s a show that they say that they would like to see it again. So much is happening and you start seeing other little tiny details and you’re like “Oh my God, that’s amazing.”
BWW: What’s the experience like joining a show that’s already established itself as a phenomenon?
Alayna Gallo: Wow. Um…
Kevin Crewell: I love it. I mean, I loved it. It was because the work’s kind of done for you. They’ve already carved this brilliant piece of theater and art out, so…
Alayna Gallo: But also, I feel it was also a little nerve-wracking to meet the expectation that it’s been at for so long. And just being a part of something that’s so much larger than us is so overwhelming. But then once you get the hang of it, you’re like, “oh, this is what it’s about.” And everyone’s always great and friendly and welcoming. So…
Kevin Crewell: Always? Always? [laughter]
Alayna Gallo: [laughter] I think so!
KC: Alayna ignored me our first three days. No, I’m just kidding. (laughter) She didn’t. I mean, it’s one of those shows that all you really gotta do is jump on the train at the beginning and ride it.
Alayna Gallo: Oh, yeah.
Kevin Crewell: Some shows, you feel like you’re kinda pulling, having to do work to compensate maybe that the material’s not so great or something like that. And this, boy, all you really gotta do is kind of get out of the way because the material’s just so good.
BWW: How is playing real people different from playing characters who are pure fiction? Is the process different?
Alayna Gallo: Actually yes, because when I first started, I was given a book of the dramaturgy, of the history of everything, from what New Jersey was like at that time, what the working class was like at that time, what was going on in the 50s, and about the character that I primarily play, Lorraine, which is his [Frankie’s] girlfriend towards the end of the show. I mean, I have three meaty scenes, but there was all this information about this woman. They are down to the detail. It’s like this is something you can really research and see who these people were, are, and their families and their lives, so I would say that that was kind of a different process because in most shows it’s all fictional for the most part. And you want to uphold the truth, because you can’t change the truth.
BWW: How do you keep the material fresh after so many performances?
AG: I mean, honestly, for me it’s easy because it’s so fast-paced, because I’m playing 17 different roles at a time.
KC: You guys don’t have time to think! [laughter]
AG: I really don’t. And the second that beat starts, the first before Ces Soir [hums the music], we’re on. We’re all on. And there’s no turning back. So, it’s easy for me.
KC: Mine, I get a lot of time down in the dressing room. [Laughter] To sit in my Italian suits. I mean, that’s where I think technique comes in. That’s where when we study, when you work on your craft and all of that. That’s where technique comes in. If you’re having a bad day personally, a bad day physically, any of that stuff, that’s when your technique of who are you talking to, what it’s about, what do you want, all of those things. The craft, I think, of acting, comes in to keep it fresh. There’s stuff about when new people come in and out of the show, that always gives it a nice little fresh spritz. You know, if you have an understudy on. If, all of a sudden, the person you’re across from is different. Audiences, every single night are different. Every single night. So, they’re the last piece of the puzzle. So, if they’re more tired, more excited, if they are rowdy, if they’re a little timid, then they add to the production in one way or another, which makes it different every single night. But, I call BS on actors that are like, “Um, it’s not different, every…” No. It is different. Totally different every single night.
Read the complete interview {Via BroadwayWorld.com}
Jersey Boys opens at the Durham Performing Arts Center on October 30, and runs through November 18, 2012. Buy and Get $10 OFF on Jersey Boys Durham NC Ticket Orders of $350 or more by using code #SpringSavings at Checkout!
