Sorry for the long wait! Uni life was getting a bit hectic, I had course rep things to be doing, presentations to get ready, essays to write and I was also part of a theatre festival which was fun but very hard work and I was working in a school for a uni placement! Well it's a new term now, things are still a bit mad and will be until April/May now so sorry if I get behind again. (I'm supposed to be writing an essay draft now but taking a break to do this!). However, in April/May I am going to see the touring productions of Hairspray and Chicago, so I'll wait until I've seen them before I review both of them. Grease Live will be next.
We are looking at shows to see in London in August time, so any recommendations would be good, if anything new is coming out (I've heard Finding Neverland and School of Rock are coming, but I have no idea when) that would be useful. If any interesting plays are lined up (with celebs or without, we would quite like to see Andrew Scott or Bertie Carvel in something!) that would be good as well. My sister will be 14 then so we have to take age limits into consideration sometimes, but she has been fine with other things in the past e.g. we didn't expect that much swearing in Billy Elliot a few years ago! The current favourite in our house to see is The Play that Goes Wrong after seeing it on the Royal Variety and Keep it in the Family. We are going to see The Commitments tour show so it won't be that one in London.
Anyway onto Jersey Boys, which is my favourite show other than my longstanding favourite of Grease, I have to stay loyal to Grease as it has been my favourite since I was about 7 and it's the first show I can remember seeing, but Jersey Boys is probably my favourite one that I've seen when I've been a bit older. It won a Tony for Best Musical in 2006 and then an Olivier in 2008 for Best New Musical which is thoroughly deserved!
We went to see it on the 16th October 2009 Prince Edward Theatre. We had the original cast for this performance and no understudies.
This show was my choice alone as it was my 16th birthday present and party in one. My sister was only about 9 so she couldn't go due to the swearing, violence etc. so just be aware of the age restrictions or advice on this one. I took my Mum even though my Dad was supposed to be the one who was coming as he is a fan of the Four Seasons, but my Mum changed her mind at the last minute and didn't want to see Lion King again with my sister, my Dad caved in and gave up his ticket. (I took him to see the film and he saw the tour version in 2014 so we have made up for it, almost.) I'm glad that she came as she really enjoyed it and it was the first time we had been out just by ourselves in a long time! She still says it is one of the best she has seen, only being beaten by Chicago which is her favourite show no matter who is in it or where we see it, and Les Mis with Alfie Boe in it.
This show was my choice alone as it was my 16th birthday present and party in one. My sister was only about 9 so she couldn't go due to the swearing, violence etc. so just be aware of the age restrictions or advice on this one. I took my Mum even though my Dad was supposed to be the one who was coming as he is a fan of the Four Seasons, but my Mum changed her mind at the last minute and didn't want to see Lion King again with my sister, my Dad caved in and gave up his ticket. (I took him to see the film and he saw the tour version in 2014 so we have made up for it, almost.) I'm glad that she came as she really enjoyed it and it was the first time we had been out just by ourselves in a long time! She still says it is one of the best she has seen, only being beaten by Chicago which is her favourite show no matter who is in it or where we see it, and Les Mis with Alfie Boe in it.
I will do my thoughts on the main show in London first and then add a few comments about the tour which I went to see in 2014 at the end. This one is slightly different, as to be honest I can't fault this musical, so it is more about my thoughts on things rather than a review this time! As always, any comments are appreciated, if you have a critique I'd love to know and I'll share my thoughts on it!
To get you into the mood, here's the performance by the original west end cast in 2008 (just under a year before I saw it in 2009) at the Royal Variety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQc1_bRga20
To get you into the mood, here's the performance by the original west end cast in 2008 (just under a year before I saw it in 2009) at the Royal Variety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQc1_bRga20
Here's a quick summary of the show. Basically it is a jukebox musical and you are following the rise to success (and ultimate breakup) of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The main four members (as it changes through time) who you follow are Frankie Valli (lead singer), Bob Gaudio (voice and keys), whose idea the musical was and supervised all of the music, Nick Massi (voice and bass) and Tommy DeVito (voice and guitar). You see things such as how they met, the rehearsal process, their time in jail, money issues, song writing, family issues and their breakup. It finishes with them being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Each member of the band takes a turn in narrating the show, therefore, each of them takes a 'season' (see pictures below). Other 'characters' include the producer Bob Crewe, who is an interesting man and also other popular bands from the time such as The Angels.
I'll start with the cast as that is what everyone always asks about first. We were lucky enough to see the original west end cast, which consisted of Ryan Molloy as Frankie, Philip Bulcock as Nick, Stephen Ashfield as Bob (who is currently in the Book of Mormon) and Glenn Carter as Tommy. I was so happy that we got to see the original cast as they were the ones that I had seen online and on the TV and I never usually get to see the original cast of a west end musical as they usually leave before I get to see it! Ryan was brilliant as Frankie, he was pitch perfect throughout and played all of Frankie's different ages really well. He shows his fighting spirit when he was younger, all the way to the hard times he had to face as a father. I was really impressed with his acting, as I think when they cast these types of musicals they need to focus on the voice, so I was surprised at how good he was. When it gets really sad it was one of the only times I did get caught up in the story of a musical. Glenn was scary as Tommy at times and did show his dominance over the other members of the group. He is good at the comedy and really makes you believe he is making the others uncomfortable at moments. The run up to and the actual moments of his downfall (the scene around the table) were brilliant and really had my hooked, this is such an intense scene and he did an amazing job of leading it. Stephen had a lot of pressure as Bob was/is involved in the running of the show, but as with the others he did a brilliant job. Along with Philip as Nick, these are the two members that you end up liking the most and feel for. Philip was particularly good at the comic moments (the towels moment sticks in my memory, if you've seen it you know what I mean, if you haven't I don't want to ruin it, but it is a particularly funny moment that also makes you feel really sorry for Nick). The best part of the cast is that they show the relationships between the characters really well and show how different they were between them all. Such as the tensions between Frankie and Tommy or the friendship that ends up strained between Nick and Tommy. The guys did a fantastic job and I can't fault them.
The rest of the cast were good as well, I liked Frankie's daughter (I'll check names when I get home) as she showed the strain Frankie's work put on his relationships with his family. The female singers were a welcome addition as I always like to see the women taking centre stage at some point even in this male focused musical and their songs are quite fun ones.
The music is what makes this musical. If you are a fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons it is a must see, as is it if you are a fan of music of those eras. However, I didn't know lots of the music, just the really famous ones like Sherry, Oh What a Night etc. but it doesn't matter, the music grabs you immediately. The live band does a fantastic job of recreating the music as well as updating it a bit such as lots is done at a faster tempo, which means it is more upbeat and I guess they get through it faster. To be honest, I now prefer the musical versions due to their faster pace and probably because they are of a better sound recording. My favourite song is I Can't take my Eyes off you due to the build up to the chorus. I played it as a sax solo with a Big Band and loved playing that part. People do sing along (mostly elderly women on the tour who once people turned around and looked at firmly they quietened down a bit) which is a bit annoying so beware of annoying theatre goers, but the music from the stage is usually loud enough that you can effectively ignore them!
The set is not too elaborate which works well and is nice to see sometimes in contrast to something like Wicked or when I went to see Hamlet. It is very dark to reflect some of the locations I guess such as the prison or clubs. It works well and the props always make sure you know where you are, even the lighting such as a cross appears when they are in the Church. I like it when the band appear at points such as on the top balcony in Can't take my Eyes off you, as it reminds you that they are there and are an important part of the show. My favourite part of the set is when you are looking at the stage as though you are behind the band whilst they are on stage and you are getting a view of the audience which is done using a black screen with lights on. It's just nice to imagine what they were going through and the scale of what they were faced with at shows. Another fun point is when they are recording for a TV show and there is a live camera on stage filming them and it appears on the screen on stage, acting as a TV. They then panned to the live theatre audience and you became the studio audience and appeared on the TV which is quite a nice added bonus experience.
The costumes are all periodically accurate as far as I know, I'm not an expert in fashion history so I would have to check that there were no mistakes. They recreate lots of their famous outfits perfectly, obviously the red jackets, which are my favourite. Lots of dark colours are used, which I assume is what they would have been wearing, contrast well with the brighter outfits. The women's costumes obviously stand out the most as they are more colourful and elaborate, the best are probably the singers dresses. The hair is all well done as well and the female's styles really make you feel like you are in the eras. The costumes and hair are quite fun to watch as they show you the change in styles though the eras. The microphones also show this and it does remind you how long the band was working for. As a musician I couldn't help but admire the drum kits and guitars in particular, the change in styles is noticed here as well, but the range of colours and styles they use is nice to see too. I can't remember any technical issues which is always a bonus!
So that's the west end version, basically perfect in my eyes. If I missed anything or you would like to know more about anything drop me a message on here or Twitter @sophd221b and I'll answer as best as I can. :)
The rest of the cast were good as well, I liked Frankie's daughter (I'll check names when I get home) as she showed the strain Frankie's work put on his relationships with his family. The female singers were a welcome addition as I always like to see the women taking centre stage at some point even in this male focused musical and their songs are quite fun ones.
The music is what makes this musical. If you are a fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons it is a must see, as is it if you are a fan of music of those eras. However, I didn't know lots of the music, just the really famous ones like Sherry, Oh What a Night etc. but it doesn't matter, the music grabs you immediately. The live band does a fantastic job of recreating the music as well as updating it a bit such as lots is done at a faster tempo, which means it is more upbeat and I guess they get through it faster. To be honest, I now prefer the musical versions due to their faster pace and probably because they are of a better sound recording. My favourite song is I Can't take my Eyes off you due to the build up to the chorus. I played it as a sax solo with a Big Band and loved playing that part. People do sing along (mostly elderly women on the tour who once people turned around and looked at firmly they quietened down a bit) which is a bit annoying so beware of annoying theatre goers, but the music from the stage is usually loud enough that you can effectively ignore them!
The set is not too elaborate which works well and is nice to see sometimes in contrast to something like Wicked or when I went to see Hamlet. It is very dark to reflect some of the locations I guess such as the prison or clubs. It works well and the props always make sure you know where you are, even the lighting such as a cross appears when they are in the Church. I like it when the band appear at points such as on the top balcony in Can't take my Eyes off you, as it reminds you that they are there and are an important part of the show. My favourite part of the set is when you are looking at the stage as though you are behind the band whilst they are on stage and you are getting a view of the audience which is done using a black screen with lights on. It's just nice to imagine what they were going through and the scale of what they were faced with at shows. Another fun point is when they are recording for a TV show and there is a live camera on stage filming them and it appears on the screen on stage, acting as a TV. They then panned to the live theatre audience and you became the studio audience and appeared on the TV which is quite a nice added bonus experience.
The costumes are all periodically accurate as far as I know, I'm not an expert in fashion history so I would have to check that there were no mistakes. They recreate lots of their famous outfits perfectly, obviously the red jackets, which are my favourite. Lots of dark colours are used, which I assume is what they would have been wearing, contrast well with the brighter outfits. The women's costumes obviously stand out the most as they are more colourful and elaborate, the best are probably the singers dresses. The hair is all well done as well and the female's styles really make you feel like you are in the eras. The costumes and hair are quite fun to watch as they show you the change in styles though the eras. The microphones also show this and it does remind you how long the band was working for. As a musician I couldn't help but admire the drum kits and guitars in particular, the change in styles is noticed here as well, but the range of colours and styles they use is nice to see too. I can't remember any technical issues which is always a bonus!
So that's the west end version, basically perfect in my eyes. If I missed anything or you would like to know more about anything drop me a message on here or Twitter @sophd221b and I'll answer as best as I can. :)
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| Glenn Carter as Tommy |
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| Stephen Ashfield as Bobby |
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| Philip Bulcock as Nick |
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| Ryan Molloy as Frankie |
We went to see it in Manchester as I was back at uni when it came to my local theatre in Stoke. I'm glad we went to see it there as it made it that little bit more special. I think we went in September 2014 (I'll get the date from my sister as soon as possibly as she has her ticket on her bedroom wall still), but I remember it being right by my 21st birthday as we said it was weird as the last time I had seen it was for my 16th birthday, so two of my special birthdays! We had the understudy Frankie, I think this is because we saw the Saturday matinee, but to be honest he was amazing. I think he sounded even more like Frankie than Ryan. I can't remember his name at the moment and I'm writing this from uni so I don't have the programme in front of me but I'll edit this post as soon as I get home and check and add the full cast list as I do like giving performers credit where it is due! I would ask my sister to check but my programmes are all in order and I know she will mess it up. The production was virtually the same, as good as I remember, with brilliant singers and band members. I can remember that the camera didn't show the audience when it panned around, which I assume is due to technical challenges but wasn't a big issue just a shame as it is quite a fun part of the show. All of the set was the same and costumes so it didn't really feel like you were missing out on anything by not seeing it in London, so well done to all involved!
Overall, this show is a must see. It is my favourite one (other than Grease) and I really can't fault it. Listening to the soundtrack always cheers me up and brings back fond memories. I loved seeing the original cast, but to be honest, I think I could see anybody in the roles and it would be hard to ruin it for me (unless the Frankie really couldn't sing then that would probably be a big issue!). I can't wait to see it again and will hopefully be going again in the next few years, especially as I've promised to take my Dad and my sister is now old enough to enjoy it as well and likes the music as well now. I'd love to see it on Broadway as America is their home nation and I would like to see if the production is different, I can only dream and wish for the moment though!
Some extras: original Broadway cast at the 2007 Tony awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIJC_DgOGY8
The film version: I would recommend watching it but obviously it has been edited and made more dramatic for film purposes, but the original Broadway Frankie stars as Frankie and he is really good. Ryan sings in Beggin'. I did enjoy the film overall, the story and emotions still get me and I can't help singing along. I particularly liked Tommy as well in the film. Also me and my Dad went to see it on the last day of my first year at uni in York so it is extra special to me. Here's Oh what a night for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U0awj_zUmU
To book tickets in London, here's the link: http://jerseyboyslondon.com/
UK Tour until March 2016: http://www.jerseyboysuktour.com/tour-dates/tour-tickets/
Broadway: http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/broadway/
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