The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream Broadway Reviews

During a two-hour concert at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, the four - Felix Cavaliere on keyboard and vocals, singer Eddie Brigati, drummer Dino Danelli and guitarist Gene Cornish - seem to have taken musical Viagra. Brigati gleefully smashed two tamb...

During a two-hour concert at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, the four - Felix Cavaliere on keyboard and vocals, singer Eddie Brigati, drummer Dino Danelli and guitarist Gene Cornish - seem to have taken musical Viagra. Brigati gleefully smashed two tambourines against his thigh and Cornish playfully threw guitar picks into the crowd. These pioneers of blue-eyed soul were having fun and that became infectious.

Directed by Van Zandt and Marc Brickman, Once Upon a Dream fails to dig deep into the rise and fall of one of the '60s most popular groups. Using the band members to spin their story prevents an honest telling of it...Van Zandt's book is sloppy, wand...

Directed by Van Zandt and Marc Brickman, Once Upon a Dream fails to dig deep into the rise and fall of one of the '60s most popular groups. Using the band members to spin their story prevents an honest telling of it...Van Zandt's book is sloppy, wanders, loses chronology and makes the guys appear less intelligent than they most likely are. As a band, the Rascals sound fine. There's something to be said for not working hard for so many years. With less wear and tear than many others groups from the period, Cavaliere and Brigati preserved their voices; Cavaliere's remains one of the most distinctive in rock. Cornish distinguishes himself with numerous guitar solos and Danelli is a wiry wonder behind the drum kit.

But any reservations end when the music begins. Cavaliere's voice has lost none of its soul, and Cornish's blistering guitar solos sound ripped from a garage band. Danelli pounds his drums with swinging precision, while Brigati sings and dances like ...

But any reservations end when the music begins. Cavaliere's voice has lost none of its soul, and Cornish's blistering guitar solos sound ripped from a garage band. Danelli pounds his drums with swinging precision, while Brigati sings and dances like a blissed-out teenager. Why did they break up? They themselves don't really know. But here they are, decades later - virtually the only band of their stature with its membership intact. If you grew up with the Rascals, this is a show you can't miss.