Music and theater lovers are eagerly waiting inside the lobby of the beautiful Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ this Saturday, September 14, 2019 evening for the doors to open for a Jersey Shore production of the off-Broadway show, 3 Egg Creams: A Rhapsody in the Rain. Inspired by and featuring the timeless music of ’60s icon Lou Christie, this one-man play stars actor Vince Bandille, and was created by writer/director George Cameron Grant.
Says Grant about the production, “3 Egg Creams tells the story of Vin Morrone, played by Vince Bandille. It opens inside the soda fountain of Vin’s youth, where he returns every morning for his daily egg cream. The initial idea for the script came from a three-hour play I had written earlier. It is from that piece that I extracted the love story which was based on Lou Christie’s song, ‘Lightnin’ Strikes.’”
Explains Grant, “It’s a three-act play and in each act, Vin has an egg cream, so I named the show, Three Egg Creams. Lou Christie’s music has always been an integral part of the process, so when Lou came to see one of our first presentations of the show and at the end said, ‘I love it,’ I was thrilled! Since then, we’ve gone on to incorporate ten songs into the show, which makes it even better since Lou Christie’s music and lyrics are so sophisticated.”
The doors open and audience members take their seats inside the historic Strand Theater auditorium. Music videos of Lou Christie play on a big screen for the audience to enjoy before the show begins. The videos show a young, clean shaven Lou Christie on American Bandstand with Dick Clark in addition to an older bearded Lou Christie on TV’s Midnight Special prior to the audience experiencing a recent taping of Lou Christie’s emotional performance of “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.”
The stage is set with an ice cream parlor type chair and a pedestal table, a table draped in red with three red roses on it, a large jukebox, and a solitary coat rack.
George Cameron Grant welcomes the audience to the Strand and introduces the show.
The screen disappears as the back curtain drops and we hear the sound of a gentle rain that crescendos into a booming thunderstorm before the juke box — a vintage 1963 Rock-Ola Rhapsody 160 — plays a rousing version of Lou Christie’s signature song, “Lightnin’ Strikes.” On the recording, Christie croons, “Every boy wants a girl/He can trust to the very end,” before his voice soars on the goosebump-inducing “Lightning is striking again” chorus.
Dressed in a leather jacket and black jeans, Vince Bandille as Vin Morrone takes the stage and the audience is immediately transported back in time to a Thanksgiving morning at Abe’s, the soda shop where Vin goes to enjoy his daily egg cream.
Through Vin’s monologue, the plot of this “boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl” love story unfolds.
As the narrative progresses, Bandille’s demeanor, voice, and body language morph and change as he deftly portrays characters of different ages and genders, notably Angela Bernstein, Vin’s love interest.
Even without physical scene changes, through the script and Bandille’s delivery, the audience is easily able to travel with Vin from the soda shop to different settings such as his mother’s apartment and the infamous stairwell where a life-altering event with the love of his life, Angela Bernstein, takes place.
At times, Bandille breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience as he and his characters weave their story through three egg creams and 40 years of a tale of a first love and second chances.
Subtle costume changes — like switching his leather jacket for a suit jacket or sporting a Santa hat — cue the audience in to significant time and scene changes.
Lou Christie’s music is also cleverly integrated within the story and helps to set the mood and advance the plot with such additional Christie gems on the jukebox as “The Gypsy Cried,” “Two Faces Have I,” “Christmas in New York,” and “Rhapsody in the Rain.”
Told with poignancy and tenderness, Vin’s journey through love, life, and loss brings the audience to its feet with heartfelt applause at the dramatic conclusion.
As the crowd makes its way out of the Strand auditorium, we take a moment to chat with Vince Bandille who shares his thoughts on bringing 3 Egg Creams to life.
Acknowledges Bandille, “We all have that one artist or song that we really connect to. In my life, that person was Bruce Springsteen, but for my character, Vin, that artist is Lou Christie.”
“As an actor, I had to connect Vin to Lou Christie — it’s Lou singing, but it’s Vin who feels the music,” explains Bandille, “So, in other words, the spirit of Vin is present in the music of Lou Christie. In fact, it was very early on during the building of the show that we learned Lou’s voice was really Vin’s voice.”
With regards to performing for the Jersey crowd here at Lakewood’s Strand Theater, Bandille remarks, “To be on this historic stage was overwhelming — it was a humbling, beautiful experience,” before concluding, “It was just magical.”
We also chat with several theatergoers who comment on tonight’s production of 3 Egg Creams.
Contends Arthur from Toms River, “3 Egg Creams is one very good show — I enjoyed it. It had surprises I didn’t expect, and the ending was beautiful.”
Catherine from Toms River agrees, adding, “Vince Bandille’s solo performance was so compelling — it kept my attention the entire time.”
Natalie from Lakewood calls 3 Egg Creams, “Fabulous,” noting, “The story line was very personal and intimate, and Vince Bandille’s acting was excellent.”
Cori from Lakewood concurs adding, “Vince Bandille has such great stage presence and the show is so emotional, I could completely relate to it.”
Continuing, “The lighting was good and the music appealed to me,” Cori also notes, “and The Strand is such a gorgeous theater — I can’t wait to see more shows here.”
Colleen from Jackson declares, “I enjoyed 3 Egg Creams very much! Vince Bandille did an exceptional job, especially considering this was a one-man-show where he had to be in character the entire time.”
Susan from Jackson comments, “The show really kept my interest — at every moment, I found myself wanting to know what would happen next,” before adding, “It was a heartwarming production — the acting was very emotional, and I really liked the way Lou Christie’s music was incorporated into it.”
Annette from Jackson agrees echoing, “It was not only emotional, but it covered a variety of different emotions.”
Acknowledging, “From the title, I thought it was going to be a comedy, but it turned out to be a life story,” Annette discloses, “I didn’t expect to have such an emotional experience, but I had tears in my eyes from Vince Bandille’s performance, where playing all of those different parts made it so special,” before concluding with a smile, “It was just….so fabulous!”
To learn more about 3 Egg Creams: A Rhapsody in the Rain, please go to facebook.com/3EggCreams. For more on Lou Christie, please click on lou-christie.com. For information on upcoming shows at the Strand Theater — including ABBA Revisited and Bee Gees Gold on October 26; The Feeling of Soul starring JT Bowen, Arlan Feiles, The Bilsby Brothers, Chuck Lambert, and Jarod Clemens on November 15, and The Machine Performs Pink Floyd on November 23 — please go to strand.org.
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