I was lucky enough to see Jersey Boys in April and was blown away by all the performances. All actors/actresses were in fine voice and the energy was through the roof. The audience was eating it up and a good time was had by all.
I was also there this past Saturday afternoon and about 10 minutes into the show, I felt like something was wrong. The energy just wasn't there. John, though looking fine and acting beautifully just wasn't hitting his notes. You would have never known by looking at his face, but having seen the show previously, it was obvious that something was up.
When they finally made the announcement that Michael Longoria was going to be finishing the show, I actually felt a bit of relief wash over me. I had paid $111.25 and stood in the cancellation line for 3 hours, and I wanted to see the show I had seen in April, and up until now I wasn't seeing that show. I give JLY a lot of credit for attempting to do the show and I give him even more credit for knowing when it was time to bow out. He also knew that the audience wasn't getting the best Frankie Valli that afternoon.
The audience didn't seem happy, but they didn't know that they were in great hands. Within 5 minutes of restarting, the Jersey Boys launched into "Sherry," and when Michael opened his mouth and a crystal clear, loud falsetto rang over the system, the audience burst into applause. It was the first time that afternoon, we had really heard the sound that we were waiting for. "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man" came immediately after and by then, Michael had the audience in the palm of his hand, as evidenced by the huge standing ovation he would get after "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."
I had to rush after the matinee but made a point to come back after the evening performance and congratulate Michael on a job well done. This kid is a star.
"Y'all have a GRAND day now"
Updated On: 8/7/06 at 09:12 AM
