Marc López – Jersey Boys

Marc López enjoyed a successful run here with “Crooners” reliving the nightclub singers who have performed in Las Vegas. He is currently singing and dancing with five other artists in “Best of Broadway”, a stunning, well-designed travel along Memory Lane. Now he turns to highlight Doo Wop with many songs from one of the biggest selling groups of all time: Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons. The stage features a quartet of handsome guys singing and dancing to the music of “The Jersey Boys” and other popular groups.

Filling out the famous group led by Frankie are Luis Villanueva from Chiapas, Alfredo Mendoza from Guadalajara and Robert Díaz from Uruguay as the 4 Seasons. “Jersey Boys” is a 2005 “jukebox musical” with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe.

Opening the evening with a medley of some top tunes from this quartet. The wide screen behind the group flashed the song title as they slid from one to the next. 1962 ushered in their first hit “Sherry”, then “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man”. Marc is exceptional in his mastery of the famous falsetto and knowledge of these tunes. The “shoop shoop” background returned the listeners to the hands and body motions of the Frankie’s background singers.

Marc is blessed with a voice and whose range goes soaring high and strong. His pleasant repertoire with the audience encourages repeat visits and word spreads to friends and visitors. His performances in “Best of Broadway” spotlight his immense talent in sending his voice upward with ease and precision. His versatility shows brightly after he completes a long run of “Crooners”, a show in which he emulated superstars of the Las Vegas showrooms. Now he tackles 60s pop.

Doo Wop is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated among African-American youth in the 1940s in the United States. What made The 4 Seasons so singular at the time was they were a white man group who immersed themselves in the black R&B and to vast success. They were door-openers.

Four-part harmonies embraced the total show, revealing the hours of rehearsing and testing. The men have succeeded delightfully so. The song choice reflected songs of the period which were not made famous by the group but recorded and released to little following. “A Sunday Kind of Love” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” were delightful bringing their own memories.

Also from the author: Boys on Fire

“This is a special song. I dedicate it to my mother” Marc declared: “My Mother’s Eyes”: “God’s gift sent from above. A real unselfish love, I found in my mother’s eyes.” From the 1929 film “Lucky Boy” he recorded it in 1953 when he was still known as Frankie Valley. It was his first single. He re-recorded it in a powerhouse version with dramatically held notes at the end. “Cry for Me” was written by Bob Gaudio for a Frankie solo with words of another teenage breakup. Marc squeezed the emotions from the lyrics beautifully. The background screen showed black and white clips from Marc’s collection, ending with a photo of a sweet mother holding her son Marc.

Then, the screen showed video flashbacks of Dave Clark and his American Bandstand. “She wears short shorts.” That ushered in “Don’t Hang Up” and “Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ‘bout Me)”, both crowd-pleasers. An impressive choreographic movement was seen during “Dawn Go Away” in that as they sang, they swooped their arms together to one side as if showing the girl traveling away. Marc mentioned a sad girl from the wrong side of the tracks but loved by the boy. “Rag Doll” told her story with determination of overcoming the prejudice.

From coat racks on stage, they changed jackets and a sweater, all providing images of the group as they appeared so long ago. Marc announced that the bright red jackets which they donned were actual ones from the stage show “Jersey Boys”. The four good-looking men looked svelte and stylish. “Who Loves You” asked the question. A favorite, “Working My Way Back to You” had them strutting the wide stage, using every inch that they needed.

The song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” was written for Frankie by their two top songwriters. He released it as a single gaining worldwide acceptance and becoming one of his top hits with or without his men. Marc sang the story of this intense love, showing his natural voice.

A very nice touch, Marc called upon each of his Seasons by name and conferred solo shots. Alfredo gave a splendid version of “Our Day Will Come”. Luis stepped forward with “My Eyes Adored You”, giving fond justice to this classic. In 1978, Frankie was asked to sing the title track of the new movie “Grease”. He made the tune known worldwide. The quartet became rough in black clothes as Robert strode across the stage belting out “Grease” being members of the T-Birds gang.

Changing to flashy shiny red jackets, they dressed for the closing. Luis romped the room with “Beggin'” A dreamy “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)” showcased once again the fine harmonies these artists have developed with any vocal hinges. “Let’s Hang On” enabled the men to thrill the audience completing the memories of this night.

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Act II Entertainment – Act2PV – Starlight Cabaret

Ninth Season 2021-2022

Insurgentes 300 (corner of Basilio Badillo and Insurgentes), second floor

Romantic Zone/SouthSide, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.

322 222 1512

Show information: www.act2pv.com 

Email: act2entertainmentproductions@gmail.com  

The box office is open from 10 am – 10 pm.

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