Here's the summary, but read the whole thing anyway.
-Alot of the cast members have been getting sick. Aw, poor Brandon, Doug, and Melissa. Sounds like they were all dropping like flies backstage. I got to see Jennifer Evans for the first time on Sunday, and Erik did Brandon's track again. Courter Simmons was there also, and of course Eric was in as Tommy.
I figured it must have been last-minute for him, but Eric did really well. There were hiccups in a couple of lines but nothing too noticeable. He had a great sneer and winked a few times. His performance didn't remind me of Deven's at all. Line delivery was more straightforward, and his tempo was really quick throughout. I wasn't used to it at first. I feel like Deven takes his time and very clearly pronounces every word and action. He's so much more stylized.
Eric's take was also so different just because of physicality. His being smaller made Tommy a really interesting character. During the show I thought, "Wow, he must be clever, he must have connections, or else someone would have surely taken him down by now." The scene where Frankie blocks his punch, I didn't feel like he could have hurt him, hehe. But actually that just reinforced the idea that Tommy thinks he's more powerful than he is.
One thing, though. I always find Deven's Tommy so endearing; he wins you over almost immediately and is so charismatic that anything he does is forgivable. For me, Eric's Tommy was kind of an ass throughout, so he seemed more like a side story. Just this very amusing character but not someone I really rooted for. It felt like the spotlight wasn't on Tommy as much, if that makes sense.
I finally got to see Steve Gouveia, and I found him thoroughly entertaining. Completely different from Michael. He does seem very normal for the most part, and I don't know, not as "Jersey"? But he also has the most animated face, and even though I felt like some notes were too low for him, the audience just loved his "Silly boy..." and bum-bum-bums. He got a whole second round of cheers by pointing up at the mezzanine during the Seasons' first big ovation. I thought he had people in the audience, but my brother said he saw that at his show too. And I have to say that Steve's smile is really infectious, but during the table scene with Gyp I had to keep from laughing. I'm not sure he has a "serious" face.
The show itself was just incredible. High energy, and the audience loved it. Erich and Rick both sounded better than I've ever heard them, and I thought they were perfect before. It was so strange when the four of them stood together. A very different-looking Four Seasons for me. I was like, "Who are these guys?"
Wow, my apologies for writing a whole short story up there. But, really, it was a fantastic night.
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