Krystina Alabado, Alaina Anderson and Deanna Giulietti in Mystic Pizza at the Riverside Theatre. Photo by Angel Udelhoven
By Stewart York
Snowbirds from the northeast will find a slice of home in Riverside Theatre’s infectiously fun jukebox musical production of Mystic Pizza.
But here’s my issue with any jukebox musical: It’s sometimes lazy. These shows rely on recognizable and popular songs to sell an audience the story. Think Mamma Mia! with Abba, American Idiot with Green Day, etc.
They can be fun, sure, because you know what to expect musically and will be surprised at how those songs move the plot.
For Mystic Pizza, the story is already in the dough. If you saw the 1988 MGM film, you know the basic ingredients; three working-class young women navigate the complexities of love, life and family while working at a pizza joint in the small seaside town of Mystic, Connecticut.
The musical version of Mystic Pizza is packed with ’80’s and ’90’s megahits that audiences will recognize and want to sing-along with.
Nothing new is being told, not the story or the score.
But somehow, I walked out, grinning ear to ear with the urge to blare Mellencamp on the drive home.
Krystina Alabado in Mystic Pizza at the Riverside Theatre. Photo by Angel Udelhoven
Mystic Pizza the musical works because of the strong performances of the trio, Kat Arujo (Alaina Anderson), Daisy Arujo (Krystina Alabado) and JoJo Barboza (Deána Giulietti). Whether together on stage, or navigating their lives by themselves in Mystic, the three make their characters extremely likable. You could perhaps see yourself hanging out with them on the docks or the local dive bar.
Two of the characters are sisters. Anderson’s Kat is the book-smart optimist who plans to attend Yale, majoring in astronomy. She works a litany of part-time jobs. Alabado’s Daisy is the free-spirited and less structured counterpart.
Their friend and co-worker at Mystic Pizza, JoJo, played by Giulietti, is loud, brash, recently “almost married,” and a comic relief to the show.
Anderson creates such an innocent character in Kat, portraying her naivety when she begins to fall in love with Tim, played by Ben Fankhauser, an architect who shares similar passions, despite the glaring age gap. Her humor shines through during her beautiful rendition of Debbie Gibbons’ “Lost in Your Eyes” as she falls for Tim in a daydreaming sequence.
Alabado brings the strength and power needed to portray the headstrong Daisy and creates a multilayered character who may find she’s more intelligent than she gives herself credit. Alabado can play the flirtatious when you see her courting the rich and preppy Charles, played by Vincent Michael. But Alabado also shows Daisy’s vulnerability and passion as she struggles to find what she really wants to do with her life through the multiple different ballads, such as Mellisa Ethridge’s “I’m The Only One”.
Krystina Alabado, Alaina Anderson in Mystic Pizza at the Riverside Theatre. Photo by Angel Udelhoven
But the crowd pleaser is Giulietti’s JoJo, who had the audience in hysterics just mere minutes into the show, when she passed out at the altar in her marriage sequence with her childhood sweetheart, Bill. Giulietti is hilarious. She easily could have made JoJo a caricature. Instead, Giulietti makes us laugh equally as she makes us empathize. JoJo is a townie of Mystic through and through, but Giulietti shines when she shows JoJo yearning for individuality and purpose.
The beautiful visuals on stage bring Mystic to the audience. Scenic designer Nate Bertone will make you smell the saltwater air. The gray shingled stage with an attached pier is a postcard example of New England seaside architecture. On the pier is the band, situated as any live band would be at any beach side bar in the Northeast. Bertone’s countless moveable set pieces include a pizza parlor, docks, a country club and the Farley house that move on and off stage as fluid as the actors.
Lighting designer Ryan O’Gara did a tremendous job using the lighting to help amplify the music and enhance the setting. With many scenes taking place on the docks, O’Gara’s lighting shined on the stages mimicking the waves and tides of the seashore.
The cast of in Mystic Pizza at the Riverside Theatre. Photo by Angel Udelhoven
What really captures the eye is the detail in the costumes from Jen Caprio. She mentioned in her blurb in the playbill that this show was one of her favorites, and it shows. Each of the trio’s wardrobe captured their characters personality—from Kat’s quirky T-shirts and bookbags to JoJo’s untucked and “rough around the edges” style.
The cast and crew did what needed to be done to make the show an enjoyable one.
Did the show tell us anything profound about ourselves or the world around us? No.
Was it fun to spend over two hours humming along to our favorite ’80’s tunes with a familiar story and likable characters? Absolutely.
Mystic Pizza runs through Jan. 26 at Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, Fla. Tickets start at $66.95; student rate available. Running time approximately two hours with 15-minute intermission. For more information, call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com
