6/19/06 Review of "Jersey Boys"

[KittyKat - RIP Luciano]

Not familar with this one? That's probably because except for a few, most Clicksters I don't expect are big musical theater fans.

I myself LOVE musicals, both in film and live theater, but I've never been a fan of what the industry calls "jukebox" musicals - basically taking an artist's catalog or a genre of music (like doo-wop) and trying to build a story around it.
Generally these "jukebox" musicals fail on Broadway (i.e. the Queen and Elvis ones) and even if they're financially successful like Movin' Out or Smokey Joe's Cafe, they're not very good. There are exceptions of course like Mama Mia which used the music of ABBA and had a great story too.
This longggg introduction leads up to my review of not only the best "jukebox" musical ever, but IMO also one of the best musicals of the last 30 years.

Jersey Boys is the stage musical story of the super-group The Four Seasons. It tracks their early beginnings all the way through their induction into the Hall of Fame and beyond.
The four young guys that they found to play the Four Seasons are AMAZING, especially John Lloyd Young who plays Frankie Valli with a voice so incredible I dare you to listen and not think it's Valli himself. Young won the Tony award a couple of weeks ago for his portrayal (along with Christian Hoff who won for playing Tommy DeVito) and rightly so.
I was never a huge fan of The Four Seasons so when my mom got tix for us to see the show when we were in NYC a month ago I was a little wary. Boy, was I shocked at how awesome songs like "Sherry", "Dawn", "Beggin' ", "My Eyes Adored You" etc. sounded and made me feel.
I only recently bought the cast album and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long - the fresh takes on these songs (often done in really cool medley form) is really great. Here's the track list for the cast album - no descriptions (no need - they're familiar to most and ALL excellent). My library has this available so that might be a way for people to take a listen without committing to a purchase. But either way I highly reccomend this gem.

1. Ces Soirees la'
2. Early Years Medley
3. Cry For Me
4. Backups Medley
5. Sherry
6. Big Girls Don't Cry
7. Walk Like A Man
8. December, 1963
9. My Boyfriend's Back
10. My Eyes Adored You
11. Dawn (Go Away)
12. Big Man In Town
13. Beggin'
14. Medley
15. C'mon Marianne
16. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
17. Working My Way Back To You
18. Fallen Angel
19. Rag Doll
20. Who Loves You
21. December, 1963
22. Jersey Boys Mix

[m c dornan]

A friend told me about this musical shortly before the Tonys. Is this list of songs how they appeared in "Jersey Boys"? It roughly matches their actual chronology, but isn't accurate. And some things like "Can't Take My Eyes" were basically solo projects.

Did they feature the 4 Seasons Bowling Alley?

I've heard Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio had some involvement in the "Jersey Boys" production.

[KittyKat - RIP Luciano]

mcdornan1 said:

Is this list of songs how they appeared in "Jersey Boys"? It roughly matches their actual chronology, but isn't accurate. And some things like "Can't Take My Eyes" were basically solo projects.

Did they feature the 4 Seasons Bowling Alley?

I've heard Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio had some involvement in the "Jersey Boys" production.

Yes, the track listing is basically the order the songs were performed in. Some, like "December" and "My Eyes Adored You" are used narratively rather than chronologically if that makes sense. "December" is performed by the Bob Gaudio character describing their first big tour on the road etc.

The musical addresses some of the friction that occured when Valli was doing his solo stuff and "Can't Take My Eyes" is performed during that part of the show.

Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, and Tommy DeVito all had influence and input on the story book and acted as consultants. I think they were even involved in the casting process a little. The three of them were at the Tonys. Is Nick Massi dead? He wasn't there.

No, no mention of the bowling alley, not at least that I can remember.

[m c dornan]

"Used narratively rather than chronologically if that makes sense"

Sure it makes sense. That's what fans of the TV show "American Dreams" felt when people said that the show used songs that didn't match the timeframe of the story. And they were right.

[Triple J]

I love these songs! I wanna go see this show soooooooo bad! I'm thinking about getting the CD.