Is there life after Jersey Boys? Chris Kale Jones, Michael Cunio, Shonn Wiley and Michael Ingersoll certainly hoped so when their time in the show’s touring company came to an end. That’s when they realized that they wanted to keep singing the classic songs in their own way.
Their solution was to create their own touring show in which they perform songs from the era of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but in which they also contribute a bit of their own personalities through stories and audience interaction. The program for Under the Streetlamp is something the boys call the “American Radio Songbook,” a collection of well-known tunes from the time when radio played a huge role in American popular culture.
Since their debut five years ago, Under the Streetlamp have enjoyed warm welcomes every time they’ve gone on the road, and they’ve built a reputation through the medium that replaced radio in the culture spotlight, too. Three specials on PBS have made the boys recognizable in households across the country and kept that old, beloved music alive well into the digital age.
For 2017, Under the Streetlamp have something of a new look. Ingersoll has been on the road with the group since the beginning, but this spring he’s decided to pursue a solo career. Taking his place is Eric Gutman, who has the same Jersey Boys pedigree as the group’s other members, where he performed on the national tour with Jones and Cunio. Since then, Gutman has been with both the Broadway and Chicago companies of the show. Gutman’s presence adds a new dimension to the show and ensures that the American Radio Songbook will remain open for the foreseeable future.