Oh, what a night! Last Thursday the beloved and I started our weekend a little early with a date to see ZACH’s production of THE JERSEY BOYS.
To offer the TLDR version of this review, I offer you this: Five stars, would recommend! Go see it, and when you do, you’ll realize you wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.
But here’s the longer version:
JERSEY BOYS is widely regarded as one of the greatest jukebox musicals of all time, praised for its authentic storytelling, strong performances, and iconic music. Typically, I often judge a jukebox musical against my belief that they’re low hanging money making fruit. Some productions of this type of musical are better than others, and some are exceptions. ZACH’s JERSEY BOYS is an exceptional exception.
This is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, one of the most iconic pop and rock groups of the 1960s. The musical tells the story of their personal and professional struggles along their rise from working-class New Jersey roots to international fame.The show became a massive hit, running for over 11 years on Broadway before closing on January 15, 2017 after 4,642 performances. It won four Tony Awards in 2006, including Best Musical.
JERSEY BOYS reintroduced The Four Seasons’ music to new generations, cementing their legacy in rock and roll history. Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe (both were key figures in The Four Seasons' success.)
The show was conceived as a documentary-style musical, and uses a storytelling format where each band member narrates part of the story, representing the different "seasons" of their career. And of course, the show features The Four Seasons’ biggest hits, including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) and more.
ZACH’s Associate Artistic Director Cassie Abate takes the helm as both Director and Choreographer for the show, and is supported by ZACH’s stellar musical director Allen Robertson. Abate accomplishes 90% of her job by casting some exceptional talent in Nick Anastasia as Frankie Valli, Matt Michael as Tommy DeVito, Brendan McGrady as Nick Massi, and Keith Gruber as Bob Gaudio. They’re backed by Ryan Everett Wood, David Kroll, Tracey bleJai Edwards, Catherine Roddey, Christina Austin-Lopez, Connor Bailey and Damon McToy.
As choreographer, Abate has done her homework, offering us utterly watchable, flawless, classic 50’s moves. Robertson’s excellent skill is on display here as well, and the harmonies created by the Four Seasons are in fine tune under his skillful direction. The show is a delight on both the eyes and the ears, including the excellent staging of “Sherry,” “Dawn,” and especially “Beggin’.” Costume Designer Jeffrey Meek captures the mid century modern style beautifully. It’s candy for the eyes. Scott Murdock’s sound design is terrific.
While there was some overly ebullient acting that worried me in the initial scenes of the show, just about everyone settled in by the time we reached Bob’s segment of the story. The success of JERSEY BOYS as the “gold standard,” of jukebox musicals, lies in its skillful story telling. The shiny front of The Four Seasons with their real life connections to the Mafia and shady dealings could’ve led to the group’s demise. That tension makes this different from most jukebox musical fluff. Giving too much weight to being “entertaining,” when authentic acting is required could throw the show off.
Matt Michael (Tommy) hits a perfect groove as the classic egoic Jersey guy – well intentioned, but unable to escape his criminal DNA. Michael is tasked with realistically playing a bad guy in a generally upbeat story, and he walks the line of becoming a dastardly villain without losing his balance. Brendon McGrady’s Nick is as solid as they come. Playwrights Brickman and Elice give Nick the job of revealing to us the ugly part of the story. Nick’s a quiet guy. Somehow, by giving the hard parts in the story to this character who watches more than he talks, it seems more believable. Keith Gruber is a natural and comfortable Bob Gaudio. Gruber’s performance is as grounding to the cast as Gaudio’s presence and talent was to the success of the Four Seasons. And Nick Anastia brings us the significant piece of this puzzle: Frankie Valli’s signature voice, Valli’s loyalty, and as best the musical will let him, Valli’s pain. You might think the story would lean in his direction, but JERSEY BOYS really is about these four Jersey boys.
Our front men are backed by a stellar ensemble. Of special note, Ryan Everett Wood, and Damon McToy, who I didn’t see or hear enough from in this show. I am looking forward to seeing much, much, more of him in the future.
In a time when handshake deals are unheard of, the story of the one that Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli made to bring us this fantastic music, is rare. JERSEY BOYS is a story told in four parts — four seasons, in fact — that give us four different points of view. As director Abate says in the program, “In a time when opinion is often presented as fact, the perspective that the stories we tell ourselves shape the choices we make in the future feels incredibly relevant.” No kidding.
All of this to say: Five stars, would recommend! Go see it, and when you do, you’ll realize you wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.
JERSEY BOYS
by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe
Direction and Choreography by Cassie Abate
Musical Direction by Allen Robertson
ZACH Theatre
At the Topfer Theatre
202 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX
January 29th- March 2nd
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