Review by Evelyn Mountfort
We are moving into a new age – the one where the pioneers of pop are becoming the grandmamas and papas of the music biz, and making their own history in the style of ‘jukebox musicals’, which use popular songs as a hook on which to base the story. From Mamma Mia! to the recently-opened Viva Forever (the story of the Spice Girls) we have everything in between including the Jersey Boys.
A fan of the famous Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons songs – December 1963 (Oh What A Night), Sherry, My Eyes Adored You – nevertheless I was surprised the combo merited a musical all to themselves.
I knew nothing about the background of the band before I saw the show and the surprising history is, I suspect, shared by the audience.
Like every good show, it has a great story: the band members are from Jersey, a motley crew whose sugary sweet harmonies belie the backstage rivalries, prison terms, intense personal relationships and mob connections. The music and lyrics are by Bob Gaudio, a member of the Four Seasons, who wrote for Valli’s voice, along with their producer Bob Crewe. So they should know.
Central to the tale is the partnership of Gaudio and Valli, who agreed on the basis of the ‘Jersey handshake’ to share whatever they made; a modern-day Musketeers’ tale – all for one and one for all. Band members supported one another – each dipping in to pay unpaid taxes and gambling debts racked up by founder member Tommy DeVito and supporting Valli after his daughter dies from an overdose.
But of course, it’s not just the story, it’s the way you tell it: each member of the band takes his turn to narrate a chapter through Spring to Winter – a neat device that gives each of the
stars a moment to shine. The audience is pulled in; sympathising with the heartache, and moved by the brilliant singing and dancing.
The ovation and audience participation at the end of the show is genuine. Oh what a night, indeed.