To put it another way, the costume changes come so rapidly, offered Manchester, N.H., native Cronin, "the guys in the crew all say, 'I don't know what you really look like.' "
For the record the redheaded Cronin is tall and willowy. Raven-haired Gallo, who hails from the Pittsburgh area, is shorter, while the equally petite, Kentucky-born Lewis is the trio's resident blonde.
All three women are appearing in "Jersey Boys" - whose national tour launched at the Forrest earlier this month - for the first time. All agree playing so many characters has made the experience different from their previous stage gigs.
"I've been in several ensembles. This is the most fulfilling" because of the challenges of undertaking so many roles, said Lewis. Her tally? Eighteen characters, among them Frankie Valli's old-world Italian mother and his doomed daughter, Francine.
Lewis added, "You'd be surprised to know how intricate the backstories of the characters are."
Generally, ensemble members in musicals appear primarily in crowd scenes and also may have one or two moments as dramatic characters scattered throughout a show, giving them plenty of down time. Not so with Cronin, Gallo and Lewis, whose backstage choreography likely rivals anything the audience sees. They all spoke of the seemingly nonstop action that occurs in the trio's stage-side, walk-in-closet of a dressing area where costume changes are sometimes achieved in a flash.
"The fastest change I do is 10 seconds, from an Angel to [Valli's wife]" said Gallo in reference to two of her 11 roles.
"I will sometimes come backstage and say, 'Who am I now?' " added Cronin. Her 17 characters include Valli's reporter-girlfriend and a call girl who's part of the entertainment at a post-gig party. "But someone will be there with the [correct wardrobe]."
