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Show: Jersey Boys
Society: New Victoria Theatre (professional productions)
Venue: New Victoria Theatre. The Ambassadors, The Peacocks Centre, Woking, Surrey GU21 6GQ
Credits: Book by Marshall Brickman. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe. Produced by Dodger Theatricals, Ambassador Theatre Group and Trafalgar Theatre Productions
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 28/09/2022
Jersey Boys
Photo: Birgit + Ralf Brinkhoff
A year apart for me and (nothing to do with COVID for once), hand on heart, I would have to say that the touring production telling the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is actually on a par – if not, better – than it’s original West End counterpart at playing at Trafalgar Square. The set is identical, the cast are also similar (It doesn’t look like a paired-down cast) but the ticket price and sheer convenience (for patrons around the country not having to spend even more money traipsing all the way to the capital) will be where the UK tour triumphs.
It’s interesting whether my second viewing allowed me to peel back several layers of the group’s story or not, but tonight I realised much more how their success may well have played a part in keeping several of The Seasons out of prison… perhaps even saving one or two lives in the process. They were pretty bad lads before fame came knocking. Well mainly the group’s founder, Tommy DeVito, was along with his brother Nick DeVito. It was when Tommy and Nick were in a trio together that Frankie Valli was discovered.
As the quartet, I thoroughly believed that Tommy was a bad man (he also ran up $500,000 of debts up over the years which Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio took on – and paid off by performing, amazingly! So full credit to Michael Pickering (Frankie Valli), Blair Gibson (Bob Gaudio), newcomer to the cast Christopher Short (Nick Messi) and Dalton Wood (Tommy DeVito). Pickering’s falsetto rendition of Frankie Valli’s unique sound is extraordinary. He even manages to sound a little green around the gills at the start of Valli’s career and like a real pro later on.
Who knew that the brain of Bob Gaudio penned classics like Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Bye Bye Baby (a big hit for the Bay City Rollers in the 70s. Both were sung brilliantly by Michael Pickering. Who also knew the actor, Joe Pesci, pre-acting-fame used to hang around with the group. I bet the actor playing him (George Salmon) looked just like him in his teenage years. Uncanny. There are so many hits in this show (including all of the group’s successes such as Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry, December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night), My Eyes Adored You, Stay, Walk Like A Man, Who Loves You, Working My Way Back to You and Rag Doll etc.) a whole bunch had to be omitted – also written by Bob Gaudio & Bob Crewe – such as The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore, To Give (The Reason I Live) and the theme of 1978’s Grease actually written by Barry Gibb but a big hit.
The hits that are sung look effortless thanks largly to Des McAnuff’s slick direction as well as Griff Johnson’s very professional six or seven-piece band/orchestra. I coun’t decide if the actors were playing their own instruments or not – the musical accompanyment was that tight. Brilliant!