As the lights go down on “Jersey Boys” at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Frankie Valli rips off his bow tie and whips it around his head.

Backstage, actor Will Dusek transforms from the famous Four Seasons falsetto back into himself. Putting his costume away is almost automatic by this point, he said, so he’s thinking: Gotta go get gas. Gotta walk the dog, as a favor to his grandma, with whom he lives. Gotta run to the grocery store. Gotta eat something. He’s ravenous.

“After the show, I always need to get something in my system,” he said. “My nightly ritual is to eat my fridge and then stay awake for two hours because you’re just wired after the show.”

Actor Will Dusek sings as Four Seasons legend Frankie Valli during a 2023 performance of “Jersey Boys” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Dusek, 23, said it takes plenty of practice and lengthy vocal warm-ups to emulate Valli’s famous high-pitched voice. (Photo courtesy Dan Norman / Chanhassen Dinner Theatres)

Dusek, 23, grew up in St. Paul and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in the spring. The leading “Jersey Boys” role is his first post-college gig — a big deal anywhere, let alone at a theater with as established and high-quality a reputation as Chanhassen.

And the accolades are rolling in.

One local reviewer praised his “rare, straight-from-the-soul falsetto,” and another said he “has the voice of an angel” and particularly commendable “vulnerability and openness as an actor.” The casting across the board is impeccable, the Pioneer Press’ Ross Raihala wrote in his review, but “the real revelation in the show” is Dusek, who conveys Frankie Valli as a character seemingly “effortlessly.” He’s the “perfect leading man.” He’s marking “the start of a brilliant future.” He was featured on the national theater site Broadway World.

“Jersey Boys,” which is based on the true story of singer Frankie Valli and the quartet The Four Seasons, is playing at Chanhassen Dinner Theater through February 24. The show is directed by longtime CDT artistic director Michael Brindisi, and the exceptional cast includes Dusek, Sam Stoll, Shad Hanley and Dylan Rugh, who took over from original cast member David Darrow at the end of the summer. Andrew Hey, the Frankie Valli understudy, plays the lead role twice a week.

Showtimes are Wednesdays through Sundays, and tickets are available at chanhassendt.com/jerseyboys.

On the one hand, the praise for Dusek’s performance has been exceptionally reaffirming that he made the right career choice. On the other hand, he said, “I like to remind myself that if I believe the good reviews, I’ve got to believe the bad reviews, too. I’ve got to remind myself that they are people’s opinions.”

What he knows for sure, though, is how welcoming and kind he’s found the local professional theater scene to be, especially at Chanhassen.

“I’ve spent four years away from home,” he said, “and I know that I always have here. The community is really amazing, especially the people that have been in this show.”

Dusek grew up near University Avenue and Wheeler Street, the oldest of three kids. His mom was a music teacher, and Dusek and his siblings were all in choir and band.

For a time, the family lived in the Washington, D.C., area, and in sixth grade, Dusek played Tiny Tim in the eighth-graders’ Christmas pageant. It wasn’t a full role — “I was just there to be a little guy,” he joked — but it’s his first memory of performing onstage.

Soon after, the family moved back to St. Paul, and Dusek continued doing plays throughout middle and high school. As a senior at Cretin-Derham Hall, in 2018, he was one of four students in the state that year to win a “triple threat” award for acting, singing and dancing from Hennepin Theatre Trust.

Several years later, as a theater student at Illinois Wesleyan, Dusek came across an audition call for CDT’s “Jersey Boys,” whose eight-month run is significantly longer than many other theaters’ productions. He was intrigued: Maybe he could land a spot in the ensemble or as a minor character, he thought, to get a little calmness and stability back after a stressful final year in college.

Well.

Singing and dancing auditions led to callbacks. At one point, director Michael Brindisi pulled him aside: Could he hear Dusek sing Frankie’s part in the song “Walk Like a Man”? After a couple of months, Dusek was invited to another round of callbacks — for Frankie.

The main quartet of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres’ “Jersey Boys” sing a Four Seasons song during a 2023 performance of the musical. From left to right: Sam Stoll as Bob Gaudio, Shad Hanley as Nick Massi, Will Dusek as Frankie Valli and Dylan Rugh as Tommy DeVito. (Photo courtesy Dan Norman / Chanhassen Dinner Theatres)

A few days later, the cast was almost finalized. Darrow was group leader Tommy DeVito, Stoll was lyricist Bob Gaudio, Hanley was bassist Nick Massi. And Dusek was one of two guys in contention for Frankie Valli. Brindisi brought the five performers back once more — both Frankie finalists sang “Sherry” with the other three cast members — and the director sent them home for the day.

Then, in February, Dusek got the email.

“I was like, holy (expletive)!” he said. “That’s crazy!”

So within days of graduating college and moving back to the Twin Cities, Dusek attended his first “Jersey Boys” rehearsal, in the lead role. And it’s an incredibly demanding one: Out of 32 songs, Frankie sings in 27 of them, Dusek said, many as the lead vocal part.

But, it turns out, because CDT’s evening shows start so late — after dinner! — even the lead role offers a level of calmness and stability that Dusek initially found disorienting. Occasionally, the cast will have afternoon recording sessions or impromptu rehearsals, but on non-matinee days, Dusek’s daytime schedule is generally pretty open. Early on, he almost got another job, just to fill up his time until the curtain call.

“I had a lot of castmates who have been out of college for many years,” he said. “They were like, ‘Hey, it’s really common for you, when you’re studying in college, to be always doing something — and then, right when you leave, you feel like you’re not doing anything. You feel like you’re not doing enough.’ They were like, ‘Take the time.’”

They were right.

“The constant pursuit” of Frankie Valli

Before the lights go down on “Jersey Boys” at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Frankie Valli stands under street lamps. He looks out at the audience and delivers a final line that, to the actor, unlocks his entire character.

“Chasing the music…” he says, “trying to get home.”

Part of what made The Four Seasons so striking in the 1960s is that nobody besides Frankie Valli sounds quite like Frankie Valli. So what’s an actor to do?

“I spent a lot of time trying to figure out, what about Frankie’s voice made him unique?” Dusek said. “And how can I emulate that in my own voice without directly imitating his sound?”

Voice coaches differentiate between a chest voice and a head voice, he said. Try singing increasingly higher and higher notes — you might notice your voice change from a full-throated sound to one that causes a little vibration between your ears.

Here’s where things get sticky: Trying to force too much singing muscle into those heady upper-register notes can sound nasally and hurt your vocal cords in the long run, Dusek said.

To emulate Valli, he had to figure out how to nail the high notes in a way that was both healthy and pleasant to listen to for several hours straight. The vocal cords are like biceps, he said; strengthening them takes plenty of steady effort. And, like the rest of the cast, Dusek does extensive vocal warm-ups and cool-downs before and after each performance, too.

“I think of it this way: If you’re doing weight training, you’re not going to hit your personal record to warm up for your personal record,” he said. “So I don’t go hitting any of the crazy high notes that I do during the show before the show.”

Let’s dig deeper into that final “Jersey Boys” line, though, Dusek said. Right now, the real Frankie Valli is 89, and the man just kicked off a yearlong tour this month.

If one of his goals is to ‘chase the music’ — to finally feel at home — Dusek asks, what does it say about him that he’s still out there, performing, after seven decades?

“It’s the constant pursuit of that, every single night, that’s life,” Dusek said.

Will Dusek (right), as Frankie Valli, poses in a scene with actress Andrea Mislan, who plays Valli’s wife Mary Delgado, during a 2023 performance of “Jersey Boys” at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Dusek was cast as Valli in part for his ability to emulate the Four Seasons’ lead singer’s signature falsetto voice. (Photo courtesy Dan Norman / Chanhassen Dinner Theatres)

In the first act of “Jersey Boys,” Dusek plays a young Valli as wide-eyed and maybe a bit temperamental, as he phrased it. As the second act progresses — as Valli gets divorced, his new relationship cracks apart, his daughter dies, members of the Four Seasons fall out with one another — Dusek has masterfully transformed the character into a man who’s just… tired. More world-weary, and maybe more empathetic, too.

But not angry.

“It would be so easy for an actor to lean into the anger of what’s going on,” Dusek said. “It would be easy for him to have the same (reactions) he does when he was younger in the show.”

This development as Dusek plays it is believable, and human.

“The singing is great, and singing is obviously a huge part of the musical,” he said. “But I, as a person, would so much rather have someone convincingly take you through a story than sing the most impressive arias in the world. If you’re not emotionally available, and I’m not there with you for the journey, then why am I watching a play?”

Back to that bow tie.

During the show’s preview week, Dusek’s costume bow tie was a clip-on. It started to fall off after the final song, and David Darrow, who played the character Tommy DeVito at the time, tried to fix it but couldn’t.

Dusek just tore it off. The crowd cheered. Afterward, Dusek said, an audience member told another cast member that she’d once seen Frankie Valli live, and the move felt like something the real singer would do.

Now, Dusek wears a traditional bow tie to play Frankie Valli, but he still takes it off after the final goodbyes and whips it above his head in a sort of cathartic victory lap.

It’s the last the audience sees of Dusek, and Frankie, before he goes home.

And even if it weren’t what the real Frankie Valli would do — or even another actor’s Frankie Valli would do — it’s what Dusek’s Frankie Valli would do. That’s meaningful, too.

“That’s what I love about live theater,” he said. “In film, one person’s interpretation gets ingrained in your brain — this person is this character. But in theater, it can always be a little different.”

“Jersey Boys”: Performances at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (501 78th St. W., Chanhassen) run through February 24, 2024. Tickets can be purchased at chanhassendt.com/jerseyboys or by calling the box office at 952-934-1525.

The main quartet of actors in “Jersey Boys,” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, belt out the final song in the show. The musical, which dramatizes the real-life band The Four Seasons, runs at Chanhassen through February 2024. (Photo courtesy Dan Norman / Chanhassen Dinner Theatres)

Related Articles

Theater review: Guthrie’s ‘For the People’ is an entertaining culture clash

Penumbra Theatre’s premiere of ‘Re-Memori’ binds a painful past to the present

Most people seem to think that free speech means saying whatever you want without consequences. But that’s never been true — at least, legally speaking. The First Amendment stops the government from punishing you for your opinions. Beyond that, you’re on your own.

Some institutions, like universities, promise their members they won’t be punished for free expression. But for-profit employers rarely promise to protect employees’ speech, for market-oriented reasons. Because companies care about what customers and clients think, they typically reserve the authority to make workers comply with their preferred speech policies.

So-called “cancel culture” offers a clear example of how what you say can have consequences. Those canceled in recent years mostly found they had little recourse other than abjectly apologizing and hoping the cancellation would have a sell-by date. Consequences ranged from getting fired to losing work to simply being criticized — albeit brutally.

As it happened, most canceling initially came from the left. As a consequence, most leftists either thought there was nothing wrong with the practice or pointed out that “cancellation” was nothing more than the exercise of free speech by critics.

The right, for its part, complained bitterly but offered little in the way of a principled objection to the idea that people are free to criticize, even boycott, opinions they don’t like. In the end, cancellation emerged as a phenomenon enabled by the combination of free speech and free market forces.

Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, the political winds of intense public criticism have shifted. Left-leaning critics of Israel are now finding themselves the targets of calls for cancellation.

Paddy Cosgrave, the CEO of Web Summit, had to step down after a tweet that called out Israeli war crimes but never mentioned Hamas, let alone its intentional killing of noncombatants. Cosgrave tried to retract and contextualize, but his efforts were not sufficient to save his job. He’s only the most prominent example — others whose tweets have cost them employment include journalists and actors.

Meanwhile, at law schools including NYU, Columbia and Harvard (where I teach), several students have had job offers rescinded by corporate law firms on the theory that they — or organizations they led — excused or endorsed violence committed by Hamas. In some cases, this happened even after the students made it clear that they condemned Hamas and their organizations retracted their earlier statements.

Under principles of academic freedom, a university may forcefully disagree with its students’ views but must not not punish students for expression of political opinions. Academic freedom isn’t exactly the same as First Amendment free speech. Its purpose is to foster an atmosphere of open intellectual discussion in pursuit of truth under conditions of civility, not to impose the strict neutrality that bars government from picking winners in the realm of ideas.

That means universities may exercise professional judgment about the quality of ideas when making decisions about hiring, tenure or grades. It would be impossible for the university to be entirely neutral about the content of ideas when fulfilling these functions. (Public universities pose their own complex problems. They are both state actors for First Amendment purposes and also academic institutions.)

Private employers don’t adhere to the principles of academic freedom nor are they bound by the First Amendment. Their calculus is different: They have to weigh the reputational costs of hiring people associated with controversial political positions against the reputational costs of being seen as having a political litmus test for employees.

Our polarized politics mean that companies must tread carefully when they make expressly political decisions. They owe it to their employees, their customers and their shareholders to exercise good judgment after real thought. Companies do better when they have clearly stated values and transparent processes in place for sound decision-making.

As for individuals, we no longer have sharp dividing lines between our social media lives, our work lives, and our expression of political ideas. It follows that we had better realize that that the difference between contexts determines the consequences of our speech.

The First Amendment remains a bedrock of democratic values, but it protects us from the state, not from each other.

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A professor of law at Harvard University, he is author, most recently, of “The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery and the Refounding of America.”

Related Articles

David Brooks: Searching for humanity in the Middle East

Cynthia M. Allen: Far left, right spread similar hate on Israel. We in the middle must speak out

Thomas Friedman: From the Six-Day War to the Six-Front War

F.D. Flam: Let’s stop insulting each other as ‘anti-science’

Bret Stephens: The Palestinian Republic of fear and misinformation — the nature of tyrannical regimes

He is a reserve player who happens to be a favorite of not only Timberwolves’ fans, but also the players.

The ovations he receives are starting to rival those of Anthony Edwards. For awhile there, Naz Reid was a lovable cult hero. But an entire Target Center crowd extends far beyond the reaches of the circles of Reddit.

Reid is simply, universally, loved.

“Naz is the best, man,” Wolves point guard Mike Conley summed up after Minnesota’s home victory Saturday over Miami.

As Reid beamed in the locker room, Kyle Anderson told him his 25-point, eight-rebound performance was some “6th Man of the Year (stuff).” Yet any praise he receives from his peers pales in comparison to what he’s showered with in his kingdom known to most as Target Center.

Every member of the roster is introduced individually prior to each home opener. When “At 6-foot-10, from LSU” was called out by Timberwolves’ public address announcer Jedidiah Jones, the crowd hit a new decibel level – it was time for Naz Reid. Reid’s roar matched that of his superstar teammates.

“That’s just love, man,” Reid said after the game. “I’m speechless. It’s crazy because it’s something that you dream of as a kid. It’s definitely special.”

As is the “Naz Reid” chants that echo throughout the arena as Reid takes over games, as he did in the second half of Minnesota’s win over Miami. An internet joke of sorts has quickly morphed into a rallying cry – a symbol of hope for franchise’s now, and its future.

“You never can really imagine something that special,” Reid said. “I appreciate every single person that was able to do that for me.”

But why does Reid invoke such emotions out of those who spend time with him and watch him play basketball?

It likely has something to do with the journey. Reid was an undrafted free agency, thought to be a talented player who wasn’t going to live up to his potential at the pro level. How wrong that’s been proven to date.

Reid demonstrated his wide array of skills from the early stages of his career. But, more importantly, he’s grown in every pivotal facet since then.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch lauded Reid’s improvement as a rebounder, perimeter defender and attacker of switches this offseason.

He said Reid’s current confidence level is a “testament to what a great summer can do for you.” Later, the coach conceded every summer Reid has spent as a professional has been “great.” Reid is never satisfied with the current state of his game, but instead yearns for new ways to improve and, thus, ascend.

“Whether it was his body early and then finding his game and then his confidence,” Finch said. “He’s a worker.”

Timberwolves’ fans love workers. They crave effort. Regardless of performance level, Reid will give you his best every night. That was evident against Miami, as Reid chased the likes of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson around the 3-point line when called upon. Whatever the challenge, Reid will do his best to meet it.

“I thought his defense tonight, particularly chasing and guarding and being up and being impactful, it was awesome,” Finch said. “And his rebounding has taken another leap. Fun to watch him play, for sure.”

Even more so on offense, where Reid is an agent of good basketball. Reid never stands still. He’s always moving his body or the ball. He is a read-and-instantly-react player. Stagnicity will not be tolerated in his presence.

“He does things quickly. That’s what we’ve always loved about him,” Finch said. “He’s just a catalyst in our offense. He creates next-action basketball.”
Which makes him a dream to play alongside.

“The way he approaches the game – on the court he’s easy to play with because he just moves and the ball is always just going somewhere and he doesn’t really think too much as far as what to do with it,” Conley said. “He’s just dribble, shoot, pass, he’s going right to it. Those guys are really fun to be around. He’s just a good teammate and a heckuva player.”

Conley said Reid is “one of my favorite guys that I’ve been able to play with as a teammate.” Partially because Reid is about the right things. No one wants to win as badly as Reid, something that’s been evidenced by the pain he exudes when Minnesota struggles. Much like how one is as pleased with the team’s successes.

Given all that, it’s no wonder Minnesota basketball fans – who take a strong liking to basketball played the right way – were so pleased when Reid signed a new three-year deal this offseason to remain with the team.

They have attached themselves to the 24-year-old center.

In return, he’s done the same.

“I wasn’t going anywhere (in free agency),” Reid said. “I love it here, man. It’s special. It’s definitely a place I want to be and develop. I’ve developed from year one to now. Each and every year, I’ve gotten better, so there was definitely no reason for me to leave.”

The home opener always features an elaborate introduction where every single player on the roster runs onto the floor as they’re individually announced.

Every Timberwolves reserve received a decent applause as they were introduced Saturday at Target Center ahead of Minnesota’s bout with Miami.

Then came Naz Reid — also a bench player — who received one of the loudest cheers of the night.

A couple hours later, the arena was roaring with “Naz Reid!” chants. One of the crowd favorites carried Minnesota to its first win of the season.

Reid was electric Saturday, making all of the proper decisions and hitting a number of timely shots. He finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in just 28 minutes as the Timberwolves toppled Miami 106-90.

“We got back on track tonight,” Reid said during his on-court, postgame television interview, “and looking to stay on track moving forward.”

Reid ignited a stagnant offense by playing with the perfect combination of smarts and aggression. When he had an open shot, he took it. When a defender was closing out, he drove. When there was an open man, he hit him. He makes each of those decisions in a split second.

That’s what makes good offense go. Through the first six quarters of the regular season, Minnesota lacked such direction. The Wolves held the ball and lacked movement and flow. It’s why Minnesota (1-1) lost in Toronto and why it was struggling with the Heat (1-2), who were missing a chunk of their rotation — including Jimmy Butler, who was resting on the second half of a back to back.

Reid is an antidote for all of that. His movement sparks movement of others. When he is on the floor, good offense is sure to follow. It’s fun to watch the big man operate. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted Reid is one of the team’s best ball movers.

Reid is a catalyst for good basketball.

He also continues to get better. Finch noted Reid looks better at attacking mismatches, chasing opponents around the arc and rebounding. Every year, the big man takes another leap.

“He obviously does a lot of spectacular things in this game, but it’s really a testament to what a great summer can do for you. He’s got a lot of confidence.”

That’s why Timberwolves fans adore him. It’s why Finch couldn’t take him off the floor in the fourth quarter Saturday, playing Reid over Karl-Anthony Towns. And it’s why Minnesota had no choice but to re-sign Reid this offseason, even though the Timberwolves already had two all-star centers on the roster.

“Fun to watch him play, for sure,” Finch said.

Related Articles

Structure or not, Timberwolves commit to ball movement for consistent offensive success

Timberwolves repeat last year’s mistakes in season-opening loss to Toronto

Jaden McDaniels on five-year, $131 million extension with Timberwolves: ‘It’s a life-changing thing’

Jaden McDaniels will miss Timberwolves’ regular-season opener

Conley’s Corner with Timberwolves guard Mike Conley: chasing an NBA championship