Jersey Boys at Top of the Charts Again!
Broadway Musical Brings Back the Phenom of the Four Seasons
Jan 1, 2009
In Denver, Colorado on December 30, 2008, the Tuesday night performance of Jersey Boys ended in a standing ovation after the audience had been taken on a marvelous joyride through a piece of American musical history. Like many nights on its run in Denver, Jersey Boys had the Buell Theatre booked at 100%. With convincing onstage chemistry, the actors who play the members of the Four Seasons allow the audience to easily slip into a sentimental daydream of the past. Jersey Boys truly captures the spirit of camaraderie and brutal consequence in the musical version of their already musical lives.
The Four Seasons
For decades, the group the Four Seasons tantalized listeners with an evolving sound that remained recognizable, especially due to the remarkable voice of Frankie Valli (Joseph Leo Bwarie) and the songwriting talent of Bob Gaudio (Josh Franklin). The story opens with Tommy DeVito (Erik Bates) and Nick Massi (Steve Gouveia) and their mastermind attempts to concoct a new flavor of sound. The new sound happened to be Frankie Valli’s vocal chords and Bob Gaudio’s divine musical genius. A few of the multitude of hit songs include: Sherry, Rag Doll, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and My Eyes Adored You.
As the show proceeds, even from the first row it isn’t obvious that the complete cast is rather small. Three lone women in the cast have to make 33 costume changes to accommodate every female character. The set is constantly whirring with scene changes to keep up with the quickly paced story.
Striving for an authentic 1960's Jersey experience, the show is bedecked with poodle skirts, big screen clips of the Ed Sullivan show and colorful language that leaves some mobster films feeling sweet and innocent. At many moments during the performance it is easy to believe that you are at an actual concert, leaving the senses delightfully confused as if transported by a time machine. Many audience members displayed their nostalgia by garbing themselves in the once again popular styles of the 1960’s, adding to the ambience.
The Plot
Despite the show running only about 2½ hours, the performance covers 40 years worth of personal and professional triumph and despair. From rising out of the Jersey projects to the pressures of glittering fame, angels and demons are abundant in each of the lives of the four main characters. Through relentless loyalty, these remarkable individuals brought together their talents to create something bigger than they could ever have achieved alone.
An essential and thoughtful aspect of the storyline also focuses on the Four Season’s artistic struggle. The pain and joys in their lives also delivered songwriting inspiration, arduously transformed into sincere creations of song. Jersey Boys brings this through the generation gap and completes the portrait on stage with a professional cast that includes outstanding, hand picked leads who truly rocked.
Jersey Boys will continue to tour the U.S.A. through summer of 2009.
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