Review: Oh, What A Night at JERSEY BOYS

Oh, what a night! Tuesday night, Atlanta welcomed back the national tour of Jersey Boys to the Fabulous Fox Theatre. The theatre was nearly packed with infectious energy as the crowd was eager to hear the recognizable tunes of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons follows the journey of the famous musical group and its evolution from troubled young men singing under a lamppost to international sensation. The show features the repertory of the group's musical hits including, "Sherry", "Walk Like A Man", and "Big Girls Don't Cry".

Winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2006, Jersey Boys is directed by Des McAnuff who does an excellent job directing the story through Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice's book and Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe's music. Due to the perfect balance between these elements, Jersey Boys is able to achieve something many other "jukebox musicals" cannot. The musical repertory numbers in this production enhance the storytelling-without interrupting the action of the piece.

Sergio Trujillo's choreography is just right, providing moves that the Four Seasons may have actually performed. Other various choreography is placed perfectly across Klara Zieglerova's scenic design. Zieglerova's basic design features a two-story playing space as well as two stair units making for interesting stage pictures, entrances and exits. The other set element of this production is Michael Clark's projection design. Throughout the show, projections are used to bring locations, such as a Jersey street, alive, as well as highlight certain themes in individual scenes.

The cast was phenomenal. Aaron De Jesus, Matthew Dailey, Keith Hines, and Drew Seeley had excellent chemistry as they portray the Four Seasons. De Jesus' falsetto rang through the room winning him a standing ovation mid-show after his impressive rendition of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". Dailey portrayed easily-jealous Tommy Devito with moments of tenderness that make DeVito seem more troubled than the bad guy of the group. Seeley's bright-eyed Bob Gaudio was beautifully sung. Quiet but strong, Hines' Nick Massi was a crowd pleaser as his perfect comic timing had the audience roaring with laughter. All four men did an excellent job aging their characters throughout the piece, ranging from young men to seasoned performers by the show's finale, "Who Loves You?". The rest of the ensemble did a great job supporting the lead men, playing various roles throughout the history of the Four Seasons. A special shoutout to swings Austin Owen and Jenna Nicole Schoen who performed Tuesday night.

Due to true to form Jersey language, as well as dramatic and sexual situations, JERSEY BOYS may not be appropriate for children.

JERSEY BOYS is playing Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theatre (660 Peachtree Street NE) October 6-11, 2015. For performance times and tickets, please visit foxtheatre.org.