Review: JERSEY BOYS, Bristol Hippodrome

Jukebox musicals are tricky things to get right. Especially if the artist concerned hasn't had a particularly eventful career. Thankfully, The Four Seasons at the centre of Jersey Boys have a veritable collection of criminal records, mafia connections and a whole heap of unrefined talent.

What follows, therefore, is a show that charts the soaring highs and the crushing lows of a group caught between where they're from and where they're going. There are families left behind and friendships broken. Bassist Nick Massi sounds a warning - 'You sell a 100 million records, see how you handle it'.

It's a credit to the show that they haven't attempted to play down the sometimes shady pasts of its (still very much alive) lead roles. There's many a jukebox musical out there that glosses over the less desirable parts of a story.

If there is a downfall to this approach, it's that packing so many details in means some elements are underplayed. The untimely death of Valli's daughter whizzes past in an instant that is entirely forgettable.

That said, writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice skilfully find new meaning in many of The Four Seasons' hits. A song like "Walk Like A Man" is at once both a pop anthem for teenage boys and a metaphor for the group's internal struggles.

Finding someone to play Valli himself has been a challenge for this show right from its inception (after the vocal demands saw the end of one actor's participation). Since then, the show has stipulated that there is a second actor to play Valli at certain performances to allow for recovery time. If that means you get someone with the strength and quality of Michael Watson, then it's a smart move. Watson's falsetto is flawless. It pierces through the orchestration with ease.

Declan Egan is easy to watch as Bob Gaudio and a pleasant change of pace with his youthful exuberance. Tonight, Tommy DeVito is played by understudy Peter Nash who lacks nothing in the vocal department though doesn't always convince as a man who needs to be charismatic enough to persuade a young Valli to come under his guidance.

Jersey Boys should be held up as an example of how to get jukebox musicals right. It's a slick show with a snappy script that is jam-packed with hits. Yet the music never feels shoehorned in and the characters feel authentic. Valli says that he just keeps "going and going and going", on this evidence, so will Jersey Boys.

Photo credit: Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

Jersey Boys at the Bristol Hippodrome until 17 November

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