By Sohail Mathur, 12th grade, Brooklyn Tech
There are three ways to get out of New Jersey: work for Uncle Sam, join the mob or make it big —or so Tommy DeVito, the band leader of the soon-to-be The Four Seasons, tells the audience at the top of the show. He has, of course, put his money where his mouth is, for make it big this band did.
“A musical is nothing without a good story,
and this holds true for Jersey Boys.”
There are the bright lights, the brilliantly choreographed dances, the riot of color and shimmer onstage, and, of course, a song that relates to every important emotion and event depicted—Jersey Boys is appealing on every level. The spectacular performances, the crisp story with no loose ends and the smooth set changes, combined with The Four Seasons’ music, makes it very difficult for the audience to keep from dancing in their seats.
A musical is nothing without a good story, and this holds true for Jersey Boys. The show depicts the true story of how a group of four young men from a small town in Jersey made it in the ruthless music industry. It appeals to the basic human desire to break out and fulfill one’s dreams.
When the final member of this quartet, Bob Gaudio, comes into place, the band is still struggling to make it in the music world. Meanwhile, head member DeVito is struggling with the fact that he’s not in charge anymore, and the band doesn’t need him as much as
it once did. In spite of all their differences and difficulties, the boys arrived—they made some brilliant music and became a rock ’n roll sensation during the 1960s.
The actors in Jersey Boys are excellent in their representation of The Four Seasons band members Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Frankie Valli. Christian Hoff is entertaining as the bombastic DeVito, and Daniel Reichard is a pleasure to watch as the
talented and loyal Gaudio. Director Des McAnuff manages to quite unobtrusively sneak a twist of comedy into the most serious moments. Viewers can enjoy Nick Massi’s diatribe as the band dramatically falls apart, because of his comic inflections.
Jersey Boys is great entertainment for people of all ages. So, go with your family or make it a date—but go to the August Wilson Theatre and enjoy this theatrical and musical extravaganza!
JERSEY BOYS August Wilson Theatre, 245 W. 52 St. $25 student rush tickets available day of show at the theatre box office.
www.jerseyboysbroadway.com
By Rachel Achs, 11th grade, Saint Ann’s School
It is impossible to tell you what the show Mother is about, because nobody, including the actors, knows what will happen on any given night. When the whirlwind show ends, the highlights of each performance are so whacky that they are difficult to describe. I can say, however, that Mother will probably have you rocking in your seat with laughter and even bonding with the stranger next to you over shared appreciation of some obscure joke.
Half of the experience in attending is the atmosphere. The performance space is down a flight of stairs in a musty black-box theater. The audience mainly consists of college and mid-twenties hipsters. Upon sitting down in our seats, the friend who I attended the performance with turned to me and whispered, “I feel like we’re not cool enough to be here”—cool is definitely the operative word that sums up Mother.
The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Theatre, where Mother is currently running, is a company devoted to teaching and performing improvisational theatre. UCB offers classes in improv to all levels of students and produces different shows seven nights a week (often doing two or three shows in one night).
“Cool is definitely the operative word that
sums up Mother.”
The show itself is fabulous. The first act is a series of scenes, created on the spot, based entirely on a one-word suggestion from the audience. The night I attended, an audience member’s sarcastic suggestion was “suggestion.” But the cast of Mother took it and ran with it. Somehow, the bland (or suggestive) word inspired about five different stories, all of which incredibly became interconnected as the evening progressed. One plot line involved a man who had freed monkeys from a zoo. This became intertwined with a set of sketches about an unhappy marriage in Columbia.
The second act is similar to the first, except with additional bursts of music provided by (you guessed it!) the audience. Members of the crowd readily forked over CDs, iPods and, to the delight of everyone present, even one audiocassette! As the tech booth DJ played songs from the audience’s selection, this added dimension of music influenced the actors and shaped the second act. The improvisational skills of Mother’s cast are incredibly solid; the actors created a brilliantly hilarious, insane and graphic show, with deliciously eccentric characters. Mother is not to be missed. And in my heart, I know that I am definitely cooler for having seen it.
MOTHER plays Saturday nights at 9pm. The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 307 W. 26 St. $8 tickets to every show, day-of or in advance
(212) 366-9176, www.ucbtheatre.com/ny
Alternative Fare for
your eyes and ears!
By Artur Jagielski, 12th Grade,
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Looking for some holiday-themed entertainment this December? For something off-beat and even eccentric, try skipping Radio City Music Hall and heading down to Performance Space 122 in the East Village (P.S. 122 for short, as this theater space is located in the former Public School 122) for one, or both, of their alternative holiday treats.
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players...On Ice
A family band of utmost originality, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players mixes slide collections they find at yard sales with their original pop songs, all the while making you laugh. This group might change the meaning of family entertainment, especially considering their range of musical influences—Led Zeppelin, Blondie and The White Stripes are daughter Rachel’s favorites. This December, they show their newest holiday spectacular, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players...On Ice. The songs are based on holiday slide collections they have found from the 50s, 60s and 70s and are ready to be shared with all who wish to come and listen.
‘Twas the Night Before the Twelve Days of a Nutcracker Christmas Carol
Did you ever want to see The Nutcracker, The Twelve Days of Christmas and A Christmas Carol, but didn’t get a chance to? Well, now, theater artist Ken Nintzel shows his newest performance creation, 'Twas the Night Before the Twelve Days of a Nutcracker Christmas Carol. By magic (or creativity), the performance fits all three stories together and reveals “some hidden holiday secret,” according to Mr. Nintzel. 'Twas… is starring over twenty performers. It just may liven up your holiday season and allow you to witness what all three tales are really about!
Both shows take place at P.S. 122, December 14-25,
150 First Ave. $15 student tickets (212) 477-5288. www.ps122.org
Play by Play writer Artur Jagielski conducted Question and Answer sessions with the creators of these shows in order to provide a sneak-peak.
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players Questions, answered by Jason Trachtenburg:
Your performance act is very unique when compared to other musical acts today. How did you think of this idea of slide show performances?
This is the age of multi-mixed media. Theatre, music, performance, art, dance, comedy, etc. have all been elevated and revolutionized as a result of the advent of conceptually combining elements of our overwhelming culture. We thought that to mix found slides collections with original pop songs would be a new vehicle to convey critique of humanity. And it was.
You have been involved in music for years now. What was your career like before you put this whole act together?
Before slideshows, I wrote topical songs and performed them at open-mics. Tina (the mom in the band) made fashion and art. We had a daughter, Rachel, in 1993 and worked our own dog-walking pet-sitting business – the Dog Squad – for ten years.
Your daughter is very young and it is difficult to find a good drummer today, not to mention such a young girl. How long has your daughter been playing the drums?
Rachel, the daughter and drummer in the band, has been on the drums for six years. She also performs on bass. The electric bass, as well as drums, are good instruments for younger people (or the agedly challenged...we don't like to say the term "kids" because kids are actually baby goats).
Your music seems to have a lot of influence from early rock music. What bands have influenced your band?
Our favorite other artists are...
Rachel: Led Zeppelin, Blondie, White Stripes
Tina: Pink Floyd, Sid Barrett, Quasi, Rick Sabo
Jason: Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix (the big three)
Since Christmas is coming up and the show will be performed during the holiday season, how will it tie in with the holiday spirit?
This year we present our holiday spectacular ...Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players...On Ice!!! All of the songs are based on found holiday slide collections from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. We will dissent the consumerization of Christ's spirit.
'Twas the Night Before the Twelve Days of a Nutcracker Christmas Carol questions answered by Ken Nintzel:
Combining four famous Christmas tales/musicals into one is quite an accomplishment. Who came up with the unique idea for this 3 in 1 musical?
I came up with the idea last holiday season. I have always loved A Christmas Carol and the music of The Nutcracker. With a little free association I added 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and The Twelve Days of Christmas. Then I played with all those titles and came up with our title: 'Twas the Night Before the Twelve Days of a Nutcracker Christmas Carol... It's the perfect crazy title for a holiday spectacular.
Combining four different stories into one could be quite a challenge. How did you get everything to fit together?
Magic. There is really no other way to explain it. I was listening to the Nutcracker while reading A Christmas Carol and with little effort the two seemed to go together, the words could be spoken to the music. Then, by comparing the two stories I found so many coincidences and similarities that it was like I had discovered some hidden holiday secret. When I discovered that 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker all involve the night before Christmas, sleeping and dreams, then I knew they belonged together. 'Twas the Night... is the narrator describing St. Nick's arrival while his family sleeps, A Christmas Carol finds Scrooge being awoken and visited by three ghosts during the night and in The Nutcracker finds Clara in a dream world of Coffee, Chocolate, Marzipan, Flowers, Snowflakes and Prince Charming...To me it is as if Clara is in Scrooge's dream and Scrooge in Clara's. The Characters from the Twelve Days of Christmas round out the show by making appearances and being incorporated into the action of 'Twas as a whole.
This whole process seems like it was quite difficult task. How long did it take to create one storyline out of the three plays?
Once one scene worked with the dialogue to the music, I then tried another and another and another. So, overall it only took me a few months to complete the script (of storylines, dialogue and stage action) The first half of 'Twas the Night... opens the show and then Scrooge and Clara's stories run parallel to each other and sometimes criss-cross. The Twelve Days… pepper the show and then the second half of 'Twas the Night... closes the show. There are also elements of British Panto (a popular English Christmas entertainment) that help to bring the stories together and add a sense of play, rhymes and nonsense to 'Twas...
What plays have you done in the past? Have you ever done anything like this before?
I have done many shows where performers do tasks and activities to music. Not necessarily dance, but the performers rarely speak and use non-verbal communication to tell their stories. The last piece I did was Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring. We used the entire score, but our version was performed through the lens of contemporary football culture: with marching band, colorguard, football players and a cheerleader who cheers herself to death to appease the gods of spring. 'Twas… seems to be a natural progression for this work, but now we are adding dialogue to music in addition to tasks and activities. And, of course, ballet. Interweaving these preexisting stories is, however, new to me, as I haven't directed a "play" in many years. I am particularly excited to return to this traditional form of theater.