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East Carson Street – A New Musical Premieres at Bell Theater

New Jersey has a new professional theater that is now open and active. The Bell Theater is located in Holmdel’s Bell Works complex. it is a part of the Axelrod Performing Arts Center.

The first performance at the Bell Theater was on May 3 when East Carson Street premiered. An enthusiastic crowd filled the seats in this beautiful new venue. Axelrod’s Artistic Director, Andrew DePrisco, welcome everyone and proceeded to say that the production only had about 11 days to rehearse. He said that a few people might have scripts in their hands since this was still a work in progress. And some did but there appeared to be no glitches in the evening’s performance. All went off very well.

East Carson Street is an exciting new rock musical. It features music and lyrics by Joe Grushecky, This iconic musician is well known for his work with the Iron City Houserockers and his collaborations with Bruce Springsteen. In fact, a few of the songs in the musical were co-written with Springsteen. A superb cast sings 20 songs led by the strong vocals of Broadway veterans Constantine Maroulis and Teal Wicks.

The book for this show is by Jonathan Rosenberg and Direction is by Daniel Kutner. Music Director is Charles Santoro and Choreography is by Michele Mossay.

The show is presented in a modified workshop / concert style. However, it has a good, functional set and enough elements of a fully produced musical to give you a chance to see a new production that has a lot of promise.

Background

According to press notes, Grushecky grew up in a coal mining town on the city’s outskirts and has seen Pittsburgh go through multiple transformations over the years.

“There were coal miners on both sides of my family,” Grushecky said. “My dad dropped out of school at 12 years old to work in the coal mines. It was hard work.”

In the 1970s, Grushecky lived just off East Carson Street and remembers when the gritty bars were packed with guys getting off their factory shifts. However, by the ‘90s, the area had transformed into a hub of live music and nightlife with Grushecky playing a major role in the city’s music scene.

Today in Pittsburgh, the mills, mines, and pollution are all but gone, replaced by parks, clean water, and thriving communities. The actual East Carson Street is now a national historic district, lined with popular bars, restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs.

This ability to change and transform is what the show is all about. It follows a family over a period of about 40 years as they deal with the loss of jobs and a way of life with which they were most familiar. The music guides us through this difficult journey and it brings us to a celebration of a new way of life in a most entertaining and pleasing manner.

A Story of Family and Friends

The story centers around Jimmy (Constantine Maroulis), a man in his twenties, who receives word that he is losing his job at the steel mill. He shows his father, Geroge (Alex Paez), the notice and tells him he is going to go get work in a mine for a short time. His father objects saying he was never planning to stay in the mines 30 years ago. He is hooked to an oxygen machine indicating lung disease.

Jimmy heads for his favorite watering hole, Junior’s, where he meets up with his friends Rick (Izzy Figueroa) and Tank (Matt Wolpe).

And it is here that he meets and hooks up with Julie (Bre Cade), a beautiful, but very young woman. She is employed at the local supermarket and remarks that she could get him work there. He takes her up on the offer.

The two become involved and Julie becomes pregnant with his child. She leaves town without a trace causing Jimmy to wonder for many years what happened to her.

To help pull Jimmy out of his sadness at losing Julie, Tank suggests he meet his sister, Angie (Teal Wicks). They meet and eventually marry and start a family. However, Act 1 ends on a sad note as George dies.

Act 2 – Many Events Occur

Act 2 brings the story years forward. Jimmy has gone back to school and earned a business degree. He worked his way up into management at the supermarket and now owns his own business.

What happens over the 30+ years shows many changes to all the characters. There are some sad moments, but also moments of hope.

Although I love telling a story, I will stop now. When you see the show, you will see all the pieces that fit into this act bringing the show to a satisfying ending.

The Music Tells the Stories

The music in East Carson Street provides a center focus for the show. The songs come from Grushecky’s musical catalog with 2 co-written with Bruce Springsteen.

A full band is right in view on stage and they do an outstanding job providing the music. The band is led by Conductor Charles Santoro who also plays piano. Gordon Brown, Mick Gaffney, and Burt Conrad play guitars. Joe Bellia is on drums with Frank Canino is on bass.

All of the songs are important to the show but there were a few that really stood out for me:

Grushecky’s 1980’s “We’re Not Dead Yet” provides a spirited beginning to the show already hinting at what is to come.

One of the most poignant moments is at the end of Act 1 when Junior (Tommy McDonnell III) and Jimmy sing “Down River.” This is a tribute to George, who has just passed away. Maroulis and McDonnell sing with emotion fitting to the sadness of the event.

The transition to Act 2 begins with “I Still Look Good (For 60) performed by Jimmy, Angie, Tiffany, Tank, and the Company. It’s a great way to update the time setting.

A stirring moment in Act 2 is when Angie sings “Rainy Day in Pittsburgh.” Wick’s vocals are very powerful on this song as she laments what is happening.

The show ends on a upbeat note with “I Will not let My Spirit Fall” and a final segment of “East Carson Street” performed by the entire company.

East Carson Street Needs to Continue On

The musical East Carson Street needs to continue on its journey and be seen by many people. The production and especially the music are very well done. It provides a most enjoyable visit to the theater. But it’s more than that.

East Carson Street serves as a type of historic document to educate and inspire The topics shown in this musical provide that look back at the past not only for Pittsburgh, but American workers as well. The changes in the steel industry created major rippling effects that affected thousands of people. They lost jobs that were not coming back. They had to look for a new way to make a living. The story told in East Carson Street gives an important look at the resiliency people need to have when faced with these kinds of tremendous changes. The ability to make those changes was needed in Pittsburgh to have it become the successful city it is today.

Most of all, it is a tribute to the people who were willing to make those changes. We need to celebrate these things. And we need to leave this as a record for both the current generation and those to come.

Go See East Carson Street at Bell Theater

The Bell Theater is located inside BellWorks, 101 Crawfords Corner Rd., Holmdel. Tickets start at $35 and are available at Belltheater.org or 732-531-9106, ext. 14.

For more information, visit the show’s website  . East Carson Street will only run until May 12. Performances continue this week on Friday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 11 at 8:00 p.m. Two afternoon performance run on May 11 at 2:00 p.m. and May 12 at 3:00 p.m.