Jersey Boys Return to Chicago
Jersey Boys Return to Chicago
lovepuppy
Broadway Star Joined: 12/7/05
#2Jersey Boys Return to Chicago
Posted: 4/14/12 at 7:30am
Caught it on opening night. It's the third time I've seen this show, and I think the second time I've seen Bwarie. He may have been an understudy or alternate, a couple years back. Awesome. The first time I saw the show here was about 3 years ago, and I regretfully cannot remember who played Valli, then (please forgive my hazy memory on this, though he was, in fact, spectacular). But Drew Gehling has always been my favorite Bob Gaudio. (Wonder what he's doing now?)
Some of the jokes didn't quite get the same laughs as a few years back, as many of the audience seemed to have seen it before. However, I was curious to see how a completely different cast would deliver the funny stuff, and while the delivery, inflection and in some cases, "joizy" accents were different, most jokes landed in much the same way, anyway.
I didn't care for Preston Boyd as Gaudio--he...walked kind of awkwardly, kind of lumbered around the stage. It wasn't quite the confident way that Gaudio is, and how he's typically portrayed. Fantastic voice, though, and he looked like he was really playing keyboards. Despite previously playing "the Monster" in "Young Frankenstein, he does have talent. :) Which is why I was also distracted by the fact that, when he told his story directly to the audience, he sort of looked...up...not *at* the audience, as the rest of the cast does. While he had decent timing when delivering some of his zingers, he looked kinda like he was trying to remember his lines. Couldn't put my finger on it, but whoever plays Gaudio should be a stronger link in the chain than this.
Michael Lomenda played Massi as an anxious, twitchy guy, which at first was distracting, because Michael Ingersoll (my "inaugural" Massi upon first seeing this show) was much more subdued and deadpan, and his jokes somehow were funnier. Was Nick Massi really that anxious and twitchy? If so, ok. His opening "I've been pretty quite til now" wasn't as funny as past casts I've seen. But then again, it could have been due to repeat-viewing. His twitchy acting was at first annoying, but once he got going, it was kind of a cute choice and everything landed as it was supposed to. And boy, is he handsome, and can he hit those low notes. :)
Joseph Leo Bwarie...Fan.Tas.Tic. Flawless falsetto in a very demanding singing role, subtle enough facial expressions and body language to have believable appeal with his leading ladies, pathos in the scene about his daughter dying, and shows sheer joy when performing with the boys and connecting with the audience. This guy's been a performer since he was 4, or something. Well done.
Did some of the dialogue get cut? A couple of jokes or lines seemed to be missing.
A beautiful night at the theatre, even so. Go see it (or see it again) if you get the chance!
Harpz2006
Broadway Star Joined: 1/3/08
#2Jersey Boys Return to Chicago
Posted: 4/14/12 at 8:11amI saw this tour twice in DC a few months ago... agree with most of your comments but LOVED Preston Boyd as Gaudio!! He stole the show when I saw it and got huge laughs with his lines and certain facial expressions. I also remember Michael Lomenda getting a rousing applause after his speech about how awful it is rooming with Tommy... did that happen? Haha, glad you enjoyed it:).
lovepuppy
Broadway Star Joined: 12/7/05
#3Jersey Boys Return to Chicago
Posted: 4/14/12 at 9:06am
Hm, Boyd must have been off, the night I saw him, then. No out-of-the-ordinary facial impressions. (Maybe he wasn't feeling well, who knows. He sounded great, though.)
Lomenda SHOULD have gotten applause after that speech, but he didn't. Got appropriate laughs. I just think people had seen it before and knew what to expect. He got a bigger laugh when he first slammed his head on the desk. That was...before the speech, right? :) His "but if you're in a band with 4 guys, and you're Ringo" line went great. Thank goodness.
Videos