"Who Loves You, Pretty Baby..."

...Not Me.


Date of performance: May 21 evening

Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; music by Bob Gaudio; lyrics by Bob Crewe, based on the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Directed by Des McAnuff

Starring: Michael Longoria (Frankie Valli), Christian Hoff (Tommy DeVito), Sebastian Arcelus (Bob Gaudio), J. Robert Spencer (Nick Massi), Donnie Kehr (u, Bob Crewe), Mark Lotito (Gyp DeCarlo), Bridget Berger (Mary Delgado), Travis Cloer (Joey), Heather Ferguson (Lorraine), and Sara Schmidt (Francine)


In 2006, Jersey Boys won four Tonys. The show is consistently soldout and it boasts the highest priced tickets on Broadway.

Given these facts, I had high expectations.
Maybe that was my mistake.
Maybe I'm too young.  I am not "of the generation that truly appreciates this music."

Whatever the reason, I found Jersey Boys to be one of the most overrated, poorly written things I have seen in a long time. I'll admit, the music is wonderful--it's the Four Seasons, after all, but the show is really just a glorified concert. The book is incredibly weak; the show is simplistically divided into four sections, or seasons, and one member of the band narrates each portion. This narration seemed like more of a cheap shortcut to get us from Point A to Point B. Unlike the other big jukebox musical Mamma Mia, which uses ABBA songs to create an entirely new story, Jersey Boys uses Four Seasons songs to accent the retelling of the rise of the boys from the "old neighborhood." The script, which feels more like a sketch, employs many cliches, and a large part of the script is simply laughable. It's to the actors' credit that some lines like, "The first time the four of us made that sound...our sound, when everything dropped away and there was was the music...that was the best. That's why I'm still out there singing, like that bunny on T.V. with the battery, I just keep goin and goin" don't sound completely foolish. There's a lack of dramatic urgency, but the closing monologues somehow tie the show together. The book and the score don't really complement each other until Act Two. In Act One, a great deal of the music is thrown in there just so more of the Four Seasons catalogue can be represented whereas in Act Two, the music reflects and enhances the plot.

However, it wasn't just the book I found fault with. The scenic design is uninspired, and the female members of the ensemble are sloppy. Granted, the female roles in Jersey Boys are small, but the women make no effort to be memorable and in the numbers where they all dance together, they don't display good technique nor do they synchronize their movements.

So beyond the music, what DID I like about Jersey Boys?

Perhaps the most important thing...the boys themselves. It takes especially charismatic, passionate, talented performers to portray real life figures and the four lead actors in this production do not disappoint. Michael Longoria, Sebastian Arcelus, Christian Hoff, and J. Robert Spencer go beyond mere imitations; they manage to subtly create three dimensional characters. Michael Longoria, who is onstage almost the entire time, oozes with charm, J. Robert Spencer's Nick is captivating, remaining passive throughout the majority of the show until finally unleashing anger and frustration, Sebastian Arcelus crafts a level headed Bob who cares as much about music as he does about integrity, and Christian Hoff, who won a Tony for his portrayal as the brash Tony DeVito, steals scenes.


Though I didn't love this show, I loved these performances...and I also loved sitting in a theater surrounded by people from Jersey. Go see the show in New York...you'll understand what I mean.