Network Presentations
— presents —
Jersey Boys
The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
Book by Marshall Brinkman & Rick Elice
Music by Bob Gaudio
Lyrics by Bob Crewe
Through Sunday, Sept. 20
Ages 12 and older (profanity, adult themes/situations)
Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC)
TICKETS
Some shows you review. Others you simply want to tell people to go see. “Jersey Boys” is the latter.
The show’s 20th Anniversary National Tour is at Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) through Sunday, Sept. 20. It’s a polished, energetic reminder of why the story of four Jersey guys who sang their way from the streets of New Jersey to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has endured for two decades.
Get a Ticket If You Can
My recommendation comes with a bit of personal history.
I saw the original production on Broadway years ago, and I also saw local company Studio Tenn’s outstanding production last season. So I arrived at TPAC with some affection for the show. And perhaps a little skepticism about whether another production could capture what makes “Jersey Boys” work.
It does.
Right from the start, one of the musical’s smartest devices is that everyone gets to tell his side of the story. “Jersey Boys” is divided into four sections, with each member of the Four Seasons taking a turn as narrator. The result is less a straightforward rise-and-fall story than four competing perspectives on the same complicated history. And what a history for this show.
Since opening in 2005, “Jersey Boys” has had two distinct New York runs, including its original Broadway production and a subsequent Off-Broadway transfer. It has gone on to dozens of major international productions, regional stagings and national tours spanning at least 11 countries and more than 160 cities.
For a jukebox musical about four working-class New Jersey guys who sang their way into fame and fortune in 1960s America, that remains a remarkable run.
The Music and Four Leads Are the Stars
Setting aside TPAC’s woefully inconsistent sound issues — thankfully, a remedy is coming, albeit in 2030, with a new performing arts center in the works — this production is strong. It all hinges on two things: the music and the casting of the four leads.
This is a fast-paced, must-hit-your-mark show filled with rapid-fire dialogue, lightning-quick changes, dancing and movement up and down an industrial-style metal scaffolding structure. Stairs both left and right allow performers to climb up, across and back down before re-entering in a new location. Lighting and subtle prop changes do much of the scene-setting work. It’s an efficient design for a show that rarely stops moving.
As for the music, this image says it all: women subtly bebopping in their seats as hit after hit from the 1960s American pop-rock-doo-wop group fill the theater. It was fun to see … and fun to bop along, too.
And the four leads are stellar.
Coby Oram (Frankie Valli), Tommy DeVito (Harry Sperduto), Nick Massi (Owen McCredie) and Peyton Schoenhofer (Bob Gaudio) all act and feel very Jersey. Together, they deliver the ups and downs the group experienced along with polished signature moves that defined their era: sharp, synchronized steps, turns and hand gestures that look effortless but require serious precision.
The story moves quickly, with supporting cast members pulling their weight in spades. Along the way, “Jersey Boys” reveals the group as something of a dysfunctional family — one that has to continually restructure itself as relationships fracture and band members depart.
A Hit Is a Hit Is a Hit
The show doesn’t shy away from the costs of success, either. Frankie Valli’s perseverance through personal tragedy, financial debts and the eventual demands of massive solo success gives the musical an emotional weight that could easily get lost beneath all those familiar songs that became hits.
And there are plenty of them.
“Sherry.”
“Big Girls Don’t Cry.”
“Walk Like a Man.”
“Oh, What a Night.”
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”
That’s really the secret of “Jersey Boys.” Somewhere in Act 2, you realize you’re watching — and listening to — a soundtrack that has become part of the American cultural tapestry.
The songs are familiar. The story is familiar. Even the choreography has had 20 years to become iconic. And yet, in this production, it still feels fresh.
Should You See the ‘Jersey Boys’ 20th Anniversary Tour?
If you haven’t seen “Jersey Boys” but know some of the music, go. If you’ve seen “Jersey Boys” before and liked it — or loved it — you’ll likely find plenty to enjoy all over again. And after 20 years, the Four Seasons still know how to make an entrance. And you should, too.
