Good Vibrations, Vassar College Powerhouse Theater
By JerseyGirls4Justin
August 1, 2004 

Where to begin....my head is stilll spinning from seeing Justin in this production. The day began as a rainy one & since I had a 3 hour drive ahead of me I was a bit concerned. Hubby was also dampening the mood...let's just say he was not exactly "on board" & leave it at that . I brought a friend with me who has loved J since AI but doesn't do the message board thing (she may now, though!) and we headed out. As we got closer to Poughkeepsie the sun came out & the day turned beautiful.......definitely an indication of how the rest of the day was to unfold. After only get turned around twice (watch out when Mapquest says continue on "local road" we called JGLUVSJG & met her for lunch. Much to my surprise (and what a wonderful surprise it was) athome & Lucky were at the restaurant. Along with Curleey & Dusty we had a fun filled but too short brunch before the show. Now onto the venue! Very small theater...absolutely perfect for this type of "workshop" setting. Seats were great...front row balcony...where I could take in the whole stage & still get myself plenty of Justin spotting. Loved being able to see him sitting off in the wings waiting to go on.....just watching the action & enjoying the experience.

The show itself is not bad....it has HUGE potential! The music is fun & upbeat (it's Beach Boys, how could it not be?). I do agree with the reviewer that JIMM posted...the book needs a bit of work. The first act was a bit on the slow side but I certainly perked up during the last number of the first act when a certain "surfer dude" jumped out on stage in his wet suit!!!!!!! Yes, our Justin is all growed up, ladies! Now you have to realize that the last time I saw him was at the parade......2 years ago....seems like a lifetime......he has lost that baby face of his youth & has matured into a strikingly handsome young man. But you all knew that. The thing that so caught me by surprise was that he is STILL the same wonderful & giving human being to his fans. He has not become jaded by all the difficulties that he has had to deal with and still seems to have the same joy & love of what it is he is doing. And that, my friends, translates to the "back of the house" as they say in the theater.

Of course I'm a bit biased, we all are, but I have to say that Justin not only held his own in this production, he glowed. He exuded a presence...an aura....charisma whatever you want to call it, he has it....no question. The thing I was most pleased by was the fact that the numbers that featured Justin were all the BIG dance numbers.....singing & dancing is what he was born to do & the choreography was tight! He really showed what he was made of & I was in awe. I knew he could dance from J2K but it is a totally different experience seeing it live...happening right in front of you. The animal magnetism cannot be denied. And yes, ladies, he is buff...perfectly so. Muscular, yet in proportion for his frame.... the wetsuit was more than my little brain could handle......I'm still unable to process it all. 

So, after the show we waited for him to come out of the dressing room & he was gracious & giving of his time to each & every one of us.  We each felt like the only one in the room during our time.  What a lovely young man you've raised Mrs. G!  

I think it's safe to say that we are all so proud of him right now & are anxiously awaiting for the JGuar to pounce!