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 Photo: Kirk R. Tuck
Austin pleads for the Altar Boyz to stay. From New Kids on the Block to the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, boy bands have kept a few things in common over the years: synchronized dancing, identical outfits, a perfectly harmonious sound (even if studio engineered). Altar Boyz is a dazzling show that draws on the boy band phenomenon and coaxes laughter out of even the most straight-laced person. Austin loved this show so much that ZACH Theatre extended its original curtain call on July 13 to August 10.
ZACH Theatre’s production follows the formula that made Altar Boyz the New York Outer Critic Circle’s Best Off-Broadway Musical in 2005. The show is a collaboration of serious dance moves and actual singing (no lip synching here) of five young men who were called upon by God to share their talents with the world in order to save themselves and the souls around them. Playwright Kevin Del Aguila and songwriters Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker succeed in making a little bit of fun of past boy bands, modern Christianity, closet homosexuals, and more in this comical, spoof-based musical. But the jokes are always in a laugh-with way; never a laugh-at.
Each member of the Austin cast brings their own snazz to this unstoppable show. At the center of the band is the leading heartthrob Matthew (played with verve by Dario Nolfi), flanked by the closet—even to himself—gay, Mark (Christopher Hartman), the obligatory wanna-be gangster Luke (Mark Christine), the Enrique Iglesias look-a-like Juan (Joshua Cruz), and the not-entirely-sure-why-he’s-here Jew, Abraham (James La Rosa).
 Photo: Kirk R. Tuck
Ever since the Austin run first opened, by the time the rollicking performance reaches its complete-with-twist ending, every seat in the theater is standing. No wonder Austin begged for more: Altar Boyz rocked the house!
Altar Boyz has been held over to August 10, showing Wed-Sun on ZACH’s Kleberg Stage. Tickets range from $24-$58 and are available online . |
