Jersey Boys is okay by me. Sure this Tony-winning revue screams out for eternal life in Vegas but its brass tacks documentary-style storytelling and concert-quality musical performances give it an edge over jukebox musicals like Mama Mia and the insufferable All Shook Up. Guys who usually have to be drug to the theater freakin’ love it. And that in and of itself is some kind of miracle.
Let’s speak truth here. Before Jersey Boys came along if you stumbled across a bunch of palookas shooting pool in a sports pub you could bet the Devil your head they weren’t talking about their favorite Broadway musical. Then along comes this show about Franky Valli and the Four Seasons, four mooks from the tough side of town who struggle and yearn and harmonize their asses off all the way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Badda-bing, badda-boom everything changes over night.
So what makes Jersey Boys such a hit with the boys who hate musicals? Maybe it’s got something to do with the absence of show tunes. On the other hand, if you like Mid-Century American pop it’s hard not to be taken in by spot on covers of Four Seasons hits like “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man” or by the uncanny replication of The Angels singing “My Boyfriend’s Back” like it was 1963 all over again. Mix all that solid gold bubblegum with a compelling story about bad ass gangsters, fast girls, amazing cars and bowling and you’ve got the recipe for Jersey Boys. The cherry on top of this big banana split: Joe Pesci—yes THAT Joe Pesci— emerges as a pivotal character. What’s not to love?
