Theater Review—

‘Altar Boyz’ Offers A Break From The Heat,

And From Serious Theater, At Long Wharf

By Julie Stern

NEW HAVEN — For the last two summers, Long Wharf made some extra money by filling the house with middle aged women who came to be delighted by Menopause, the Musical.

This year the main stage summer show is something different. Altar Boyz is a light-heartedly satirical rock musical about five young men who form a Jesus band, and tour the country, along with their special patented “soul sensor” — a device that gives a continuous readout of the number of souls who are, at any given moment, struggling with the weight of temptation and sin. (Actually, it’s kind of like those signs the police set up on the road to let you know how fast you are traveling.)

Backed up by a four-piece band, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham perform a dozen musical numbers along the lines of “God Put the Rhythm in Me” and “Jesus Calls Me On My Cell Phone.”

There is no plot to speak of — the show is a vehicle for some high spirited singing and dancing — but the dialogue between the songs works very well to delineate the characters. Matthew, the leader, is a good Christian boy who lives by his ideals;  Mark, who resembles a cross between the young Mick Jagger and Mikhail Baryshnikov, is gay, and suffers from an unrequited crush on Matthew;  muscular Luke, whose mind has been dimmed by bouts of “exhaustion” which require recurrent stays in rehab, drives the van; Juan is a heavily accented Mexican immigrant, searching for the parents who abandoned him at birth; and Abraham is the Jewish member of the Altar Boyz. A friend of Matthew’s, he was recruited by the group when they needed someone who was good at writing lyrics.

The banter and innuendoes are very funny. Philip Drennen plays Matthew, Dan Scott is Mark, Anton Fero is Luke, Tim Dolan is Abraham, and Andres Quintero is Juan. Their voices are splendid, and the dancing is spectacular. In short it was a very pleasant way to spend and evening.

What I found strange was that the audience seemed left over from Menopause. Apart from the performers, there were perhaps half a dozen other males in the  whole theater. Anyhow the ladies loved it.

(The show continues through right through the heat of the summer, with performances Tuesday through Saturday evenings until September 13, along with matinees each Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Tickets range from $36 to $46. Call 203-787-4282 for reservations and additional information.)