Musical is a love song to Righteous Brothers
When they first burst onto the scene in the 1960s, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, a.k.a. the Righteous Brothers, faced an unusual problem: White radio stations boycotted their brand of blue-eyed soul, while black stations were hostile to a pair of Caucasian kids from Orange County who had adopted their sound.
Of course, the decades have proved the duo’s durability. James A. Zimmerman’s musical “That Lovin’ Feelin’,” in its West Coast premiere at the Group Rep, reacquaints audiences with the Righteous Brothers’ oeuvre.
Musically, this is rousing stuff that will set toes tapping. But as far as jukebox musicals go, “Jersey Boys” this ain’t. Zimmerman’s narrative framework may provide an excuse to revisit hit tunes, but its structure is flimsy. The show opens as an older Bill Medley (Paul Cady, who also is the show’s musical director) is interviewed by a journalist (Sarah Karpeles), who begins her questioning with “Where did it all start?” — a clunky device at best that sparks a recapitulation of his career.
Young Hatfield (Brenden MacDonald) is portrayed as a self-destructive diva, and young Medley (Morgan Lauff ) seems relatively saintly. The show, presumably written after Hatfield’s death in 2003, often seems more a hagiography than a balanced biography.
Fortunately, director Jules Aaron’s casting of Lauff and MacDonald is inspired. Although they may occasionally strain for that tip-top note or that bottom basso tone, the actors can really rock the house. They alone are richly worth a look-see.