JERSEY BOYS REVIEW: Oh what a night!

Now, I really couldn’t get away with reviewing the Jersey Boys without name-checking one of Frank Valli’s most famous songs could I?
Jersey Boys cast (L-R)  Lewis Griffiths, Matt Corner, Sam Ferriday, Henry Davis (Photo credit Helen Maybanks)Jersey Boys cast (L-R)  Lewis Griffiths, Matt Corner, Sam Ferriday, Henry Davis (Photo credit Helen Maybanks)
Jersey Boys cast (L-R) Lewis Griffiths, Matt Corner, Sam Ferriday, Henry Davis (Photo credit Helen Maybanks)

Because as a young(-ish) trendy(-ish) knowledgeable(-ish) kind of guy, I was prepared to recognise a few of his tunes whilst watching the show.

Plus I knew that it was a West End hit, so there would be a fair odl story hanging it all together.

How wrong I was.

Instead, Jersey Boys blew me away.

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Prepare yourself for cliches here, because this is a stunning show, telling the story of a band whose songs were always loved but whose story (before Jersey Boys, anyway) was little-known.

Once pitched as a clean-cut vocal quartet, Jersey Boys brings to life Frankie and his bandmates.

The lives, the loves, the triumphs and the struggles are all documented, while this band of brothers stand together, fall apart, and yet remain united by their dream.

The other huge success for me is what dawned on me halfway through the show. Because unlike musicals which quickly have me switching off or zoning out (did somebody mention We Will Rock You?) this is not some inane half-baked story which nobody would care about without a bunch of songs which you have already heard of. Jersey Boys would be a great story anyway - and a true story at that - so the songs instead add an energy which lifts the whole experience to the next level.

I, for one, have already been out to buy a Four Seasons album in the days since I went to see the show. Watch Jersey Boys and I guarantee that you will do the same.

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