The Altar Boyz – Abraham (Steven Cardona), Matthew (Trey Compton), Luke (Tom Garruto, Mark (Barry Shafrin), and Juan (Eddie Madonado).
Outside there were wheelchair vans from the senior center, and entering the Theater Barn in New Lebanon, New York were scores of people with crutches, canes and walkers that made me feel as if I were heading into a revival meeting. Oh my, I wondered, is this more than just a cute little show, would I be witnessing a laying on of hands and miraculous cures tonight?
Turns out that I had chosen to attend the first Sunday matinee, and it was sold out to loyal patrons who had been around and attending Theater Barn offerings for a long time. Some for a very long time indeed.
And they were a game crowd, because if you haven’t heard by now, Altar Boys is a spoof on Christian Boys Bands. If we were to believe the script, The Altar Boys were in town as the last stop of their “Raise the Praise” tour. And while there were no canes or walkers left behind, there sure were plenty of heavenly moments on stage. I am here to raise the praise on their behalf.
The Altar Boyz! From L. to R.: Tom Garutto, Eddie Maldando, Trey Compton, Barry Shafrin and Steven Cardona are the Altar Boyz.
The boyz began at St. Barts R.C. church in Illinois, but as they tell it, are originally from Ohio. The basic quartet consists of Mathew, Mark, Luke and Juan (Ole!) plus a fifth member, Abraham, a Jewish guy who sings the praises of the Lord as a near-full member of the group. The evening’s gimmick is to save as many souls as possible during the course of the show, and their success is measured by a device dubbed SSDX-12 which is able to compute the purity of each person’s soul in the audience. There were no secrets that could be kept from its pulsating rays, and each new reading produced a new song to reach the still unrepentant.
As Matthew, Trey Compton was the de facto leader of the group, acting both as lead singer and emcee. His most devoted follower – who was also smitten by him – was the closeted Mark, played by the delightfully gawky Barry Shafrin who has an extraordinary reserve of comic bits to layer his role with. Eddie Maldonado as Juan shared those comic bits, and was perhaps one of the two best dancers in the group. Most notable was Tom Garruto as Luke, who was the street-smart kid but not too bright. Stephen Cardona had the weightiest role, having to reconcile his Jewish character with the Catholic boys.
As one might expect from the Boy Bands they were channeling, these boys danced up a storm even as they delivered the lyrics at full volume. The stage setup was simple, with some lighting columns on either side of the stage, and the three piece band – which made a joyous noise – against the back wall. That left two-thirds of the stage free for the action of the five performers, though when playing downstage, it was difficult to see anything below their waist or knees, depending on the height of the people in front of you. The stage is set too low at the Theatre Barn, and sight lines continue to be a concern of this reviewer.
Nevertheless, the staging by Bert Bernardi made clever use of the whole stage for the performers, and kept their energy tightly in focus. The transitions from staging to choreography were well integrated, and it was often difficult to detect where one ended and the other picked up. It’s proof of collaboration at its best.
The lighting and sound was always well done, and on occasion even exceptional. The action often spilled over into the audience, which clapped along to several songs, and one lucky patron was invited on stage to enjoy Matthew’s love song first hand. The younger people in the audience clearly picked up the vibe of the show, though the older audiences response was tepid since they are more familiar with singing along with Mitch (Miller) than clapping in time to contemporary music. I think the younger the audience you see this show with, the more fun you will have. Older Berkshire audiences are notoriously reserved.
The performers give out so much energy that it is impossible not to have a good time in any case. This is the first time that Altar Boyz has been performed in the area, and worth a trip to see. It’s as light as whipped cream, a frothy parody of things some people take all too seriously, but as long as you have a sense of humor, this show will make a convert of you. It did of me. See, I am singing its praises!
The Altar Boyz (l to r) Trey Compton (Matthew), Barry Shafrin (Mark), Tom Garutto (Luke), Eddie Maldonado (Juan), Steven Cardona (Abraham).
The Theater Barn presents Altar Boyz, Book by Kevin Del Aguila, Music and Lyrics by Gary Adler & Michael Patrick Walker, Conceived by Marc Kessler & Ken Davenport, Set Design – Tracey Richardson, Lighting Design – Allen E. Phelps, Costume Design – Michelle Bohn, Sound Design – Jason Tamorini, Music Direction by Victoria Casella, Additional Choreography by Steven Cardona, Staged and Directed by Bert Bernardi. Cast: Matthew – Trey Compton, Mark – Barry Shafrin, Luke – Tom Garruto, Juan – Eddie Maldonado, Abraham – Steven Cardona, Voice of G.O.D. – John Philip Cromie. The Band: Keyboard – Victoria Casella, Guitar – Chris Theriault, Percussion – Ian Tucksmith. 90 Minutes with no intermission.
Performances of Altar Boyz take place from August 12-22 on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 5pm and 8:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $24 except Sunday matinees which are $22. For tickets call 518-794-8989. The Theatre Barn is located at 654 Route 20, New Lebanon, NY 12125.
