Review: Jersey Boys

Mar 21 2008 by Philip Fisher, Western Mail

Prince Edward Theatre, London

OH what a night! Jersey Boys is set to be a musical highlight of 2008 and quite possibly several years to come.

This biography of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons has a stream of hit songs, delivered impeccably, and a storyline that may at times be cheesy but complements the tunes.

Everyone of a certain age will know a long list of the group’s hits from the 1960s onwards but few will know that the band’s members lived lives like some mini version of The Godfather.

This show has proved to be a durable success on Broadway and now, the whole American creative team, led by director Des McAnuff, have re-formed to ensure that the London cast has every chance of emulating their New York cousins.

The music, arranged by the band’s songwriter, Bob Gaudio, was always likely to be great. Klara Zieglerova’s design fits perfectly, projecting sub-Roy Lichtenstein, Pop Art images courtesy of Michael Clark on to a bare, caged space with props wheeled on and off to maintain pace.

The early scenes follow a bunch of Italian-Americans from Belleville, New Jersey, later the state that produced Bruce Springsteen. When they are not singing on street corners or in dives, the boys supplement their income by breaking and entering, making prison one of their training grounds.

The Four Seasons are transformed from no-hopers to stars gradually, led by the bombastic Tommy, Glenn Carter. First, he and Nicky (Philip Bulcock) discover a kid with a dream of a voice, Frankie Valli. Then, thanks to the assistance of future Hollywood star, Joe Pesci, the trio meet up with sensitive and highly intelligent musical genius Bob Gaudio, well portrayed by Stephen Ashfield.

It is the new pair that turns the losers into pop stars with Sherry, a million-selling hit within three weeks of its release. It also lifts what had been an unremarkable, if pleasant show on to a different plane.

The success was inevitable, as the songwriting talents of Gaudio link up with the gorgeous voice of Valli played by Ryan Molloy, surely an odds-on favourite for best musical actor in the year-end awards ceremonies.

The hits come thick and fast, much to the delight of an audience who had arrived expecting a show and got a pop concert thrown in. Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man and December 1963 (Oh What a Night) ensure that any doubters are won over.

This is no fairy tale and dissension eventually rips the band apart.

Already, marriages are failing and this four-way love affair goes the same way, after Tommy’s gambling leaves his pals with a $1m bill to settle and then Nicky walks out on a whim. Worse is to follow as Frankie’s daughter succumbs to a drug habit and then Bob retires behind-the-scenes.

Amazingly, the world still loves the relaunched Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with the star backed by a faceless quartet. This is a testament to songs like Bye Bye Baby and Working My Way Back to You. Perhaps the best of all is Valli solo, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, a personal triumph for Gaudio who funded it himself when nobody else would.

Jersey Boys melds the Four Seasons back catalogue, with a rags-to-riches story that entertains and, at times, warms the heart. It is ideal musical fare for the West End and with unforgettable, catchy tunes, seems a sure-fire hit.

The box office number is 0207 447 5459