Special Reader Review: Jersey Boys (#sitename#)

Jersey Boys continues to excel on Broadway, most recently selling 100.1 percent of the tickets for the week. The only show it currently follows at the box office is Wicked. It is truly amazing that the production has been able to consistently sell out at the August Wilson Theatre since the story of the Four Seasons opened on November 6, 2005.

It has managed to do so, from what I can tell, because of a consistently strong cast. I recently returned to see the show for the first time in over a year and found that Jarrod Spector helped to keep the stage Frankie Valli atop the list of strong leading characters in the world of Broadway. He may lack the fantasy element that draws so many to a character like Elphaba in Wicked or Shrek in the latest animation-adaptation that is going to be an assured hit, but is able to strike a lasting impression thanks to his ability to capture the character.

While the story of the four seasons is supposed to be a collection of points of view, it is Valli emerges as the most compelling character, much like the real life Valli who dominated the 1960s hit machine.

That is not to take away from the performances of Sebastian Arcelus as Bob Gaudio, Dominic Nolfi as Tommy DeVito, or Matt Bogart as Nick Massi. Each excels once the spotlight falls on them for their Real World-esque personal confessions. As in any mega-production on Broadway, each is able to carry themselves with each number, with their voice and their feet.

I came away again impressed with the back story of a pop group that rose to bubble gum fame despite a beginning complicate by the dues paid in the criminal world and the personal conflicts that sifted below the surface of number one hits on the radio.

The cast has been able to deliver the same tongue-in-cheek moments and the same in-your-face comedic bravado that help take this musical from the family friendly Wicked to a blatant raunchy tale.

While those terrific performances help glue the story together, it is ultimately the catalog of hits throughout that drive this jukebox musical. It is the nostalgia each song inspires that first compelled many to see this story and it is those songs that make a repeat viewing as necessary as listening to the oldies station once in a while.

I particularly enjoyed the renditions of Earth Angel, Walk Like A Man, and Bye Bye Bye that made my mind beacon back to a time before I was born. They were close enough to the versions I grew up listening to on the radio, but powerful enough that I felt like I was at a real Four Seasons concert. The first thing I did after getting home from the August Wilson Theatre was look for a state fair where I might find some of my favorite pop stars of decades past playing out the remainder of their careers.

I highly recommend a repeat viewing by every within the New York City limits as the tourists crowds become smaller and smaller and we are able to reclaim our sidewalks from the families that walk four wide and move painfully slowly while looking in awe at the incredible skyline.