Quincy Community Theatre’s Jersey Boys transports audiences to the 1960s

QUINCY —Walking around historic Quincy, it’s easy to drift into an imagination of past times, of river boats and red brick and horses. But earlier this month at the Quincy Community Theatre, audience members were transported to another time and place: New Jersey in the 1960s, showcasing the true story of rock and roll quartet The Four Seasons.

Known as a jukebox musical, Jersey Boys features the songs from the group including “December 1963. (Oh, What a Night)”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”. The almost-full, enthusiastic audience was dancing in their seats whenever a familiar jingle came along.

The show is packed with a flurry of scenes. Each member of the quartet narrates a portion of the show. Tommy DeVito (Jeremy Kurfman) introduces the group’s formation. Bob Gaudio (Dominic Regner) writes hit sounds which lead them to fame. Nick Massi (Nicholas Lickfeld) explains the personal dynamics of the group, and then Frankie Valli (Patrick Hedges) ends the show by explaining how the group separated.

The show is based on a real group, which means finding voices that match the vocal ranges of the original quartet is imperative. This becomes more difficult, however, because lead vocalist Frankie Valli is famous for his powerful upper range, so unique that it made him famous. Listeners sometimes believed there to be a fifth member of the group because Valli’s high voice sounded completely different. Finding an actor to sing this role is no easy feat, let alone an actor that sings it well. But the Quincy Community Theatre does just that with Hedges. Indeed, it almost sounded like there was someone else in the wings, hitting those high notes.

The rest of the vocalists meet their marks as well, including Jeremy Kurfman. His rich tone is warmly welcomed, guiding the audience through breakneck-speed scene changes. His voice is impressively fluid with his constant dancing. The quartet nails their harmonies. The Angels’ performance of “My Boyfriend’s Back” is also a refreshing highlight of the female range amidst a male-heavy show.

The backdrops are remarkable, specifically the brightly-colored TV set. The cigarette smoke, heavily parted hair and vibrant costumes bring the audience into the 60s. The lighting design is also fantastic, specifically the finale of the first act. Quincy Community Theatre can improve on the microphone logistics, however – there are times when it is hard to hear vocalists, or some are much louder than others.

Even Mayor Linda Moore applauded the show, starting Monday’s city council meeting with words of support for the cast and crew.

“I’ve seen the same production at the Muny in St. Louis, and St. Louis has nothing on Quincy,” said Mayor Moore. “I think our crew and our cast was by far head and shoulders above what the Muny had.”