The phenomenal Jersey Boys continues to swing in this latest tour by Dodger Theatricals. As most of America knows by now, a talented cast of four male singers bring to life the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Born to blue-collar families in a sooty part of New Jersey, they rise, against-all-odds, to fame and fortune.
The statistics for Jersey Boys would make any theater producer drool. The show, on Broadway since 2005, has been seen by more than 16 million people worldwide. Numerous traveling casts have brought this unique tale to audiences from Johannesburg, South Africa to London to Perth, Australia.
What gives Jersey Boys its universal appeal? For starters, the story is engaging from start to finish. And then there’s the talent. This is a show that doesn’t abide slackers. Each cast member must be at the top of his form. This tour is fortunate to have Nick Cosgrove (as Frankie Valli), Brandon Andrus (Nick), Nicholas Dromard (Tommy) and Jason Kappus (Bob Gaudio). They faithfully recreate the sound that made The Four Seasons such a hit.
One reasons Jersey Boys stands above most jukebox musicals is the extensive songbook created by The Four Seasons. Although simplistic tunes like “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” may have little more to offer than nostalgic value, they are still catchy. These songs are inklings of what’s to come in later years, such as the musically more substantial “Walk Like a Man,” “My Eyes Adored You” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”
The songs are cleverly woven through a storyline that shows fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. These guys demonstrate the loneliness that comes from spending more time with each other than with their wives, kids, mobsters and groupies. Their popularity exacts a heavy toll on all of them, none more so than Frankie. During the show’s 2 ½-hour running time, he gets married and divorced, loses his youngest daughter to drugs and is left in the dust by a brainy new girlfriend. No wonder his loyalty to his group is so strong. When this is put to the test, Frankie insists on taking on all the debt accrued by the financially reckless Tommy. This brave act saves Tommy’s skin and puts Frankie in the harness for more performances than he can count. Still, he refuses to give up until all of Tommy’s debt is erased. He has never forgotten that it was Tommy who provided the encouragement he needed to become a singer. That kind of loyalty is part of what makes Jersey Boys so special. These four guys, who started their careers by harmonizing under a street lamp in a dingy New Jersey neighborhood, never forgot what they came from. (Neither did Frankie’s mother, who insisted on going to a laundromat when her washing machine broke down. She didn’t want to waste Frankie’s money. “And of course she tells everyone at the laundromat that her son is Frankie Valli,” laments Cosgrove. “As if I wouldn’t buy my own mother a new washing machine!”)
Those who haven’t seen Jersey Boys can be forgiven for thinking that a show about four guys must be a low-budget production. However,Jersey Boys is anything but. It manages to dazzle with its large cast, its many musicians and state-of-the-art stage, sound and lighting effects. Sets flow on and offstage so seamlessly that audiences don’t even notice the transition.
There are also a handful of hard-working women in the cast, and they do a great job changing roles from family members to dancers to strippers, and so forth. Trouble is, they aren’t onstage long enough to make a lasting impression. Not with a show named Jersey Boys anyway.
