The Center for the Arts at Monmouth University has announced that tickets are now on sale for a November 29, 2018 holiday concert by the dynamic vocal group The Doo Wop Project.
Scheduled for 8 p.m. inside the Pollak Theatre, the one-night engagement represents an encore appearance at Monmouth for the quintet of “charismatic, handsome, triple-threat Broadway stars” whose specialty centers around bridging the traditions of gospel, folk, rhythm and blues — the classic vocal soul known for all time as Doo Wop — with the contemporary pop music that continues to draw inspiration from the sounds of decades past.
While the singers of The Doo Wop Project pride themselves on the ability to transform any stage into a figurative street corner in the old neighborhood, November’s return to campus finds them swapping out the corner streetlamp for a candy-striped North Pole, as the harmonizing crew performs a collection of holiday standards that range from the sacred to the secular, and the downright sublime.
The five vocalists weren’t on the scene when groups like The Del Vikings, The Flamingos and The Belmonts ruled the radio airwaves — but as cast members of some of the most popular jukebox musicals of all time, the Project teammates boast a deep familiarity with the timeless signature songs of such urban serenaders as The Four Seasons, The Temptations, and The Miracles.
Reuniting in The Doo Wop Project are three former “Jersey Boys” — Dominic Scaglione Jr. (Frankie Valli in the Broadway, Vegas and Chicago companies), Russell Fischer (Joe Pesci on Broadway), and Dominic Nolfi, an original cast member of “A Bronx Tale: The Musical.” Nolfi, who was also featured in the original cast of “Motown: The Musical,” joins two fellow veterans of that troupe — including Charl Brown (a Tony nominee in the role of Smokey Robinson), and, as the group’s “Mr. Bass Man,” the multitalented actor, singer, producer and comedy writer Dwayne Cooper.
Together with music director and arranger Sonny Paladino, the men from the Project pack enough star-wattage talent to light every streetlamp “From Here to Eternity.” When they hit the Pollak stage on November 29, they’ll be taking the audience on a sweet sleigh ride that shows off their spot-on recreations of such vintage hits as “ I Wonder Why” and “I Only Have Eyes For You,” as well as their trademark “re-doos” of songs by Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Maroon 5 — and of course, such heartwarming holiday chestnuts as Kenny Vance’s “Doo Wop Christmas” and Charles Brown’s “Please Come Home for Christmas.”
Tickets for the November 29 performance of A Doo Wop Project Holiday are priced at $25 and $35, with a Gold Circle seating option available for $50. Reservations can be made through the Monmouth University Box Office at 732-263-6889, or online at www.monmouth.edu/MCA and tickets for other upcoming Performing Arts events — including the annual Holiday Concert by in the Great Hall (December 6), and the Pollak Theatre debut of Stray Cat Lee Rocker (April 13, 2019) — are also available now. To schedule interviews, please contact Kelly Barratt at 732-263-5114.
