Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham – until 24 September 2022
Reviewed by Amy Coulson
5*****
Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning musical Jersey Boys has landed in Nottingham for a two-week run until 24 September. I’d obviously heard good things over the years, and was very excited to see the show, which has won over 65 major awards and been seen by over a staggering 27 million people.
Jersey Boys is written by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The Jersey Boys UK and Ireland Tour is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team, led by the Tony Award-winning team of director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, with scenic design by Klara Zieglerova. Previous tour alumni Michael Pickering and Lewis Griffiths return as Frankie Valli and Nick Massi respectively, with Blair Gibson as Bob Gaudio and Dalton Wood as Tommy DeVito.
The true story, as told by the four band members, who at various stages break the fourth wall to talk directly to you, investigates the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Four guys from New Jersey, with strong accents (truth be told, it took me a while to sync with the accent) who together, sung beautiful top hits. The story looks at their lives offstage as well as on, and it’s thrilling! From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we are swept along with them in a whirlwind of big hits and big personalities! The show is packed with their hits, including Sherry, Walk Like A Man, 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got), Bye Baby, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Working My Way Back to You, and Fallen Angel. If not familiar with Frankie Valli already, movie goers will recognise songs which feature in iconic films such as Grease and Dirty Dancing.
I can’t not mention, Michael Pickering as Frankie Valli, who is exceptional. His powerful falsetto kept the audience transfixed and excited. There were gasps every time he hit the high notes. It felt an honour to be in the same room.
The entire cast and production felt very slick, and I was completely swept away by it all. Exactly the escape I needed after a long week (or months) and I have a feeling that others felt the same. The standing ovation and cheers were well deserved, and I encourage you to see for yourself. You won’t be able to take your eyes off of this stage.