Review: Jersey Boys (Trafalgar Theatre)
Posted on 13 August 2021
Who Loves Ya, Pretty Baby?!
Landing back with a bang into London’s Trafalgar Theatre, Jersey Boys is back, baby! The feel-good, juke-box musical with timeless tunes that are instantly recognisable including 'You’re Just Too Good To Be True', 'Oh! What A Night (December 1963)', and of course, 'Beggin' which has us, once again, dancing in the aisles.
Jersey Boys tells the much-touted rags to riches tale of how Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio found fame on a handshake. Set in the '60s when the world was already alight with the British Invasion of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons firmly placed their mark on the music world.
Each of The Four Seasons narrates a weather Season that corresponds to a phase in the group’s history. Spring begins with Tommy DeVito explaining how 'Oh What a Night' is translated into Ces Soirees-La and offering up his version of events. Summer comes, and with it comes Bob Gaudio‘s turn to narrate. Taking up the gauntlet in Autumn is Nick Massi and as we enter a bleak and chilly Winter, Frankie tells it the way he saw it.
Playing the diminutive in stature but huge in voice is Ben Joyce as Frankie Valli. Hitting the high notes is not easy to replicate and credit where it is due, Joyce’s voice soars. Ben Irish as Bob Gaudio is fruitful in his endeavours to show the close bond between the two with Ben Yates as Tommy DeVito) and Karl James Wilson as Nick Massi bringing up the rear. Elliott Allinson as Bob Crewe has perfect comedic timing and a hearty welcome back to Mark Isherwood, one of the original London cast.
The story of the Four Seasons is captivating. It transcends different themes; love, friendship, heartbreak, heart-opening, money and music. If I had to sum it up in one word: Ubiquitous and a further four words – One Not To Miss!
