When the Midtown Men offer their take on classic songs of the 1960s at five shows in Scranton next weekend, Lynda Newell and Carolyn Nardelli will be in the audience for each one of them.
In fact, the pair - who attended Jessup High School together and have developed a close bond in the last decade through their love of theater - has become something of an authority on the singers since the group performed together in Broadway's "Jersey Boys."
"I'm so excited that I can't even tell you," said Ms. Nardelli of Jessup. "First of all, what a coup that they're coming to Scranton."
Presented by Broadway Theatre League of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Midtown Men will perform at Scranton Cultural Center at The Masonic Temple from Friday, Jan. 18, to Sunday, Jan. 20. Already Broadway Theatre League season ticketholders, Ms. Newell and Ms. Nardelli won't miss one note while the Midtown Men are in town - they have snapped up seats for all of the shows and plan to take with them friends and family who have not yet experienced the Midtown Men.
"It just never gets stale," Ms. Nardelli said. "It's just absolutely amazing. These young men, they are so talented. And they're such good friends, and that comes across on stage."
For Ms. Nardelli and Ms. Newell, their interest in the group all started with "Jersey Boys," the Tony award-winning musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The Midtown Men - Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer - are four of that show's original cast members.
Ms. Nardelli booked her tickets to "Jersey Boys" on a friend's recommendation, while Ms. Newell, who lives in Moscow, said the hype and storyline drew her to it.
"After seeing it, I did fall in love with them," she said.
Since "Jersey Boys" opened on Broadway in 2005, Ms. Newell has seen it around 20 times, mostly before the Midtown Men stars left the cast, while Ms. Nardelli has been in the audience 71 times.
"If you closed your eyes, you would think you were listening to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons," Ms. Nardelli said. "It was amazing."
After moving on from "Jersey Boys" and working on some other projects, the singers have spent the last few years touring as the Midtown Men. Ms. Newell and Ms. Nardelli have attended six or seven Midtown Men shows, even hiring drivers to take them on longer trips, and plan to continue to see Midtown Men shows that occur anywhere within a four-hour radius of their homes.
"We will definitely support them because they are true entertainers," said Ms. Nardelli, who calls the group the "modern-day Rat Pack." "They really are true entertainers. I don't know of anybody who is ever disappointed that went to their concert. Young people, older people - everybody could relate to them."
The women described the group's performances as "phenomenal" and "timeless," and they said the group has a great, funny rapport on stage. And while the music stands out, so do the stars' personalities.
"They are the nicest, nicest young men you'd ever want to meet," Ms. Nardelli said. "They ... do a meet and greet after each performance. They'll sit at the table and sign the CDs, take pictures with you. They're just down-to-earth, nice guys."
Ms. Newell and Ms. Nardelli have met the singers several times and have become familiar with them, even sending them emails to let them know when they'll be heading to a show. They said the singers have been known to give them a special wave or wink during their shows.
"We've given Michael birthday presents, and they'll email us back and things like that," Ms. Newell said. "They're really great with everyone. They treat us like family, they really do. But they're nice to all the people. But again, we feel when they meet us they give us that little extra because they know we've been with them so long."
Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com, @cheaneyTT on Twitter
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