Author: Tom Williams

Jersey boys is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons—Bob Guadio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. These guys are blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks. DeVito is a small-time Jersey hood and mafia want-to-be who narrates the early story of the rise of the pop foursome. Jeremy Kushnier plays DeVito with raging intensity. We see that Nick Massi is the passive, go-with-program guy and friend to Tommy Devito. DeVito’s control over the group is challenged when songwriter/arranger Bob Guadio arrives in the group.

We see the dynamic of family relationships as three generations emerge with different political and social beliefs. Ben is an open Marxist apologist while Emma is both an American patriot and a leftist. We see the generational conflicts with Ben and her grandmother Vera (MaryAnn Thebus). The common binding thread here is the Marxist beliefs shared by all.

if – you can get over the actor’s struggle to tell and move the story along. The leaderless troupe finds the black women (Tracey N. Bonner) trying to arbitrate, stimulate and focus the storytelling to mixed results. All the bickering, backstage humor and role playing games eventually sets up the final powerful racially-charged final role playing game that becomes much

Stronger voices with a clearer focus which may have exuded more empathy and charm like the first Silk Road Cabaret show did would make this revue more stage worthy. As it plays now, there is enough quality tunes to give an honest portrait of Asian and Middle Eastern psyche as part of the unique melting pot know as the USA.

Pippin, with Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics, is a musical fable about the son of Charlemagne set in 780 A.D. Pippin (Andrew Keltz) is the young prince in search of happiness and personal fulfillment. We meet a troupe of actors channeling the style of Bertolt Brecht led by the Leading Player (the charismatic Joey Stone)