The Boys Are Back in Town

Stage

WE’VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED to plays being born here, going on to Broadway huzzahs then coming back as part of a triumphant national tour. But none of them has matched Jersey Boys’ San Diego pedigree.

The musical, recounting the story of the ultrapopular singing group Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in 2004, helmed by then–artistic director Des McAnuff. Featured in the cast were local talents Christian Hoff and Steve Gouveia. Jersey Boys, with a Marshall Brickman–Rick Elice script and a score comprising 20 or so of the Seasons’ hit songs, was instantly embraced by critics and audiences, and the Playhouse twice extended its sellout run.

The show moved to Broadway in November 2005, where it duplicated its adoring reception. It consistently packed the August Wilson Theater and won four Tonys in 2006, among them outstanding musical and Hoff as featured actor. Since then, it has become an international phenomenon, including a touring company heading here for three weeks (October 18–November 11), an unusually long stay for a traveling production.

San Diegan Gouveia, who plays Nick Massi, has continued with Jersey Boys since its beginning, including stints in San Francisco and Chicago. Ex-Vistan Deven May plays Tommy DeVito, the role that gave Hoff his Tony. (Hoff, who lives part-time in Valley Center, is moving toward stardom with a likely title role in a Broadway revival of Pal Joey.) Christopher Kale Jones, who portrays Valli, worked with McAnuff on the Playhouse’s Zhivago, and John Altieri (playing songwriter Bob Crewe) was in Romance at the San Diego Rep and The Love of Three Oranges at the Playhouse.

Coincidentally, Frankie Valli and the (updated) Four Seasons were scheduled to play Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay last month.

SPEAKING OF THE PLAYHOUSE, it’s inaugurating a program called The Edge, in which it will present Page to Stage workshop productions of provocative new works by talented young writers. The first is Most Wanted (October 2-14), staged by former Playhouse artistic director Michael Greif. The musical drama, with a script and lyrics by Jessica Hagedorn and score and lyrics by Mark Bennett, deals with the nation’s obsession over the rich and famous, focusing on the media frenzy around a spree killer whose victims include a celebrated fashion designer. Hmmm, wonder where they got that idea?

IT SEEMS THERE’S THIS AGING THEATER CRITIC. And he’s obsessed with a beautiful young stage actress . . . No, this is not a confession. It’s the basis of St. Nicholas, Conor McPherson’s one-man fantasy-drama about an unprincipled, boozy reviewer who stalks the object of his infatuation until the pursuit pulls him into a coven of vampires. Ron Choularton, one of our town’s top performers, plays the critic in the Cygnet Theatre show (October 15–November 10) directed by Sean Murray.

Astute observers may consider this protagonist a metaphorical bloodsucker who gets involved with some actual ones. The tale may have been inspired by the comment attributed to playwright Dolores Prida about an infamously acerbic critic: “John Simon died 40 years ago, and his corpse was revived by a witch. To keep alive, he must drink the blood of actors, directors and theatrical designers on a weekly basis.”

If you hanker for more vampires, North Coast Repertory is staging Dracula (October 20–November 18). This version of Bram Stoker’s classic bloodfest is by Steven Dietz.

CYGNET IS ALSO PRESENTING, in its regular Thursday-Sunday schedule, another scary classic, The Turn of the Screw (October 12–November 11). This production, directed by Janet Hayatshahi, is the first local offering of the Jeffrey Hatcher adaptation of Henry James’ spooky novel about a young governess hired to care for two orphaned children. Seemingly innocent and charming most of the time, they unsettle her in that they seem haunted by spirits.

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