Jersey Boys The Musical a review by Nina Jervis

April 5, 2023

Thanks to Nina Jervis from www.ninathewriter.com for this review.

Forgive me, dear reader, but I had assumed ‘Jersey Boys’ referred to a group of high-spirited youngsters from our fair Channel isle. It is, in fact, a jukebox musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, who hail from Noo Jersey in the US.

(But you already knew that, didn’t you?)

And what a jukebox musical it is. First off, it’s jam-packed with hits absolutely everybody knows. If, like me, you’re only vaguely familiar with the group itself, prepare yourself for plenty of “oh, I didn’t know that song was them!” moments. “There are loads of songs from the ‘Dirty Dancing’ soundtrack,” went excited whispers from a group of Gen Z-ers in the row behind.

Second off, the story is totally compelling. It’s got everything: money trouble, crime and jail-time, soaring highs and crashing lows, mob connections… and a bizarre cameo from Joey Pesci (yes, that one) who performs a key role in getting the Four Seasons together.

Told from the individual perspectives of the group members, said story – which is cleverly divided up into the four seasons of the year – zips along at a rapid pace. This is exhilarating rather than exhausting, and the fantastic set keeps up with impeccable aplomb.

The performances need to be just as slick. They are. Directly addressing the audience with words taken from real-life interviews, each character feels human and individual. They all share searingly personal insights about their lives and attitudes; some of which should make them unlikeable, but somehow made me root for them. Even the relentless grifter Tommy DeVito, played by Dalton Wood with bucketloads of easy charm.

Michael Pickering completely nails both Frankie Valli’s distinctive falsetto and increasing desperation as time – and the ups and downs of success – wear on, while Blair Gibson is an irresistibly endearing Bob Gaudio; the shy kid who quotes classic poetry and pens the group’s classic hits (his co-writing partner and producer Bob Crewe is played to charismatic perfection by Michael Levi).

Last but not least, Christopher Short delivers an effortless performance as the enigmatic Nick Massi; the self-confessed ‘Ringo’ of the group who irons his shirt twice. He reveals that his kids were deliberately brought up to believe he was their uncle rather than their Dad, so they wouldn’t feel bereft when he was away on tour, enjoying all the benefits that went with it.

This touches on the fact that the women in the show get a raw deal, as they usually do in throwback shows like these. Though Frankie’s put-upon wife Mary Delgado (Emma Crossley) gets a killer line early on, when she urges her soon-to-be husband to change the spelling of his proposed stage name from Valley to Valli. “You’re Italian, you gotta end in a vowel. Valli with an I. It says ‘this is who I am.’”

Powered by an endless collection of hit songs and a crackling story that packs an emotional punch, this is a slick, seamless, and immensely enjoyable show that delivers on every level.

No wonder that the vast majority of the Southend audience was up on their feet by the end, applauding and cheering the hard-working cast and crew with well-deserved gusto.