The Berkeley Beacon

Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Arts and Entertainment

Media Credit: courtesy of Broadway Across America Altar Boyz will leave audiences feeling touched. [Click to enlarge]

Just before the beginning of Altar Boyz, the stage is bare except for a brightly lit sign featuring the play's title in capital letters. Smoke billows out from the left, and the musicians have gathered on stage and are tuning up. All of a sudden, an announcement says, "Ladies and gentlemen.
the Altar Boyz will be droppin' the funk in 12 minutes."

It is already evident that this group will not be performing a typical Sunday Mass.

The premise of Altar Boyz, the award-winning off-Broadway musical that opened in Boston Oct. 31, is that of a Catholic boy band, a mash-up of Backstreet Boys style and Christian rock-band lyrics. The group addresses the audience directly, and claims in their first song that they intend to "alter your mind."

Altar Boyz welcomes the audience into the world of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham, five boys who are drawn together by a message from God telling them that their destiny is to create a boy band that will "praise the Lord with funk and rhyme."

The five members of the band span the archetypes of pop music, from Enrique Iglesias to Clay Aiken. The show itself is cleverly written and the songs genuinely convey a message without failing to induce laughter.

The concept may sound like it's missing a plot; with a concert setting, how can the audience actually get to know the characters?

However, Kevin Del Aguila, who wrote the book for the musical, does an excellent job of weaving a coherent plot into the songs. The band introduces each song and often cites personal connections to the music.
It is a slow process, but by the end, the audience will leave feeling like they have gotten to know all five Altar Boyz.

In fact, in one scene, the Boyz go into detail about the formation of the band. It all begins over a piece of music that Matthew is attempting to write but can't find the words for. One by one, each Altar Boy appears, singing about how he thinks the group initially got together.

By the end of the scene, the only Jewish Altar Boy, Abraham, is the one who is able to write the words to the song. In a unique and funny way, they provide the audience with enough backstory to understand who they are and how their relationships with each other work.

Continued...

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