Mr. Mambo<\/em> Comes to Town<\/strong><\/p>\n Valley Advocate<\/p>\n Jukebox musicals \u2014 shows like Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!<\/em> and Beautiful<\/em>, which take a singer\u2019s or group\u2019s songbook and string it into a storyline \u2014 have become a Broadway staple. Dean Parker reckons he\u2019s got a live one with Mr. Mambo<\/em>, which debuts at Northampton\u2019s Academy of Music on Saturday.<\/p>\n It\u2019s formed around the songs of Tiffany, the eighties teen sensation whose platinum hits included covers of \u201cI Think We\u2019re Alone Now\u201d and \u201cI Saw Her Standing There.\u201d Parker, who grew up in West Springfield and is now an actor, producer and writer based in Los Angeles, says the songs\u2019 catchy tunes and \u201cidentifiable emotions\u201d make them a natural for musical theater and \u201chelped in creating the storyline.\u201d<\/p>\n Ally Reardon (Kristen) and Silk Johnson (Eric) rehearse a scene from the upcoming Tiffany musical.<\/p><\/div>\n He has chosen the Valley for the show\u2019s world premiere because of his local roots and the abundance of talent in our area. The youthful cast of 16 is refreshingly diverse: though Tiffany\u2019s teenage fan base was largely white, this production fields an ethnically mixed ensemble.<\/p>\n The scenario is inspired by the topics and titles of 15 songs recorded by Tiffany. It centers on four high school friends, Kristen (Allison Reardon), Casey (Tina Sparkle), Danny (Arnaldo Rivera) and Johnny (Jarod Bakum). They have their sights on entering a hot TV dance competition hosted by the eponymous \u201cMr. Mambo\u201d (Silk Johnson). That adventure, along with shy Johnny\u2019s secret crush on Kristen, spurs the plot\u2019s romances, jealousies, breakups and make-ups.<\/p>\n \u201cI wrote the show because I felt that Tiffany\u2019s hits, and even her lesser-known songs, would translate well into the musical-theater genre,\u201d Parker says. \u201cWhat I love most of all is the feel-good quality that all of her songs have.\u201d In creating the storyline, \u201cI simply looked over the list [of her songs] and the story and characters took shape.\u201d<\/p>\n I attended a recent rehearsal of Mr. Mambo, held in the dilapidated ballroom of the former Kimball Hotel, a once-elegant downtown Springfield landmark, now a condo block. As the performers ran through songs and dance routines, observed by musical director Michael Rheault, choreographer David Bovat and dance captain Aileen Merano Terzi, I spoke with Bob Sands, who directs the production.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a fun show,\u201d he told me. \u201cI like the music in it, and the fact that, like Grease<\/em>, there\u2019s a lack of parents. It\u2019s all about the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Rivera, who came up through the Serious Play! youth ensemble and more recently played Othello with Real Live Theatre, said, \u201cBeing a nineties kid, I always liked the eighties and the music. This show is not Shakespeare, but every once in a while I like to be part of a production that\u2019s just fun and good times \u2014 singing, sweating, all that.\u201d<\/p>\n At the Academy of Music, Northampton, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Info and tickets at mrmambo.net<\/u>.<\/p>\n Contact Chris Rohmann at stagestruck@crocker.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n \n![\"Ally](\"http:\/\/mrmambo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/MR.-MAMBO-PHOTO.jpg\")
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