Concerts

Shu-bop your doo-wop with The Doo Wop Project in Beverly

The supergroup of Broadway harmonizers comes to the Cabot Nov. 20.

The Doo Wop Project. Handout

2 minutes to read

Ah, doo-wop — has there ever been another musical genre quite like it?

On the one hand, it was deceptively simple, with its moon-in-June love-song lyrics and minimal instrumentation (if any). On the other, it could be spectacularly complicated at the exact same time, with intricately executed strings of nonsense syllables intertwining around the lead vocals in perfectly balanced bass, baritone, and tenor. Just listen to “Whispering Bells” by the Del-Vikings, “I Wonder Why” by Dion & The Belmonts, or the Vito & The Salutations version of “Unchained Melody” and you’ll see what we mean. (Not to mention literally anything by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers.)

So it’s not surprising that Broadway belters behind such shows as “Jersey Boys,” “Motown: The Musical,” and “A Bronx Tale” might gravitate toward The Doo Wop Project, a traveling production that celebrates the genre in all its bomp-shoo-bompy, ring-a-dong-dingy glory.

“I fell in love with this music as a teenager,” Dominic Nolfi — an alum of “A Bronx Tale” — told hollywoodsoapbox.com in 2019. “I’ll never forget hearing and creating five-part harmony for the first time. It’s the reason why we doo this!” He’s so excited he can almost be forgiven for that bad pun.

What really sets The Doo Wop Project apart, though, is it goes beyond recreations of actual doo-wop from groups like the Crests and the Flamingos, and even the doo-wop inspired music by the likes of Smokey Robinson and The Temptations. The harmonizers from the Doo Wop Project also tackle “DooWopified” (their word) versions of modern hits, by everyone from Michael Jackson to Jason Mraz to Sam Smith.

Best of all, unlike the original doo-wop groups — whose acoutrements often consisted of just a streetcorner and a lamp pole, or if they were lucky a single ribbon microphone they all gathered around — The Doo Wop Project has all the benefits of modern production values. (And a five-piece backing band to boot.) Doo-wop has certainly never sounded better.

So lest you want to leave the future of harmonizing to precious college a cappella groups (God forbid), you can support both The Doo Wop Project and the genre its singers love so much by shu-bopping out to the Cabot in Beverly Nov. 20.